Freedom has a Price
by Bleedndreamz
Summary: Naruto had a problem. He had no one to train him for the chunin exams, but more importantly, he had no one in life there for him that would also judge him. So naturally he was desperate. Yet you know what they say... "Desperation only attracts vultures."
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

I personally felt the need to put this before the chapter. I am now going to start posting this story, because I felt it actually deserved to get out there. I am currently around 40 thousand words into the the story, and just haven't posted any chapters. I have been writing it over the past month or so off and on, and today I just decided to post the first chapter. I have not abandoned any of my other stories, I am just merely trying to stay writing and find inspiration. If any of you know my current stories that I already have, I imagine the majority of my readers will be excited to hear that Consequences of an Honest Enemy will be the next story updated (excluding the updates I plan to periodically have for this story since the chapters are already written.)

I will also like to note that the first few chapters that come are going to be heavily centered on Naruto's growth in skill, and then a lot of action. However It will eventually die down and proceed to quickly develop plot. So I will let you continue reading with this final note.

If you enjoy reading good fanfiction with believable characters, each with their own motives. Read this story. If you enjoy interesting plots that can be possible yet are often not capitalized on? Read this story. If you are interested in shinobi battles that are not about purely mindless "Whom can spam the biggest jutsus faster" but actually has strategy and tactics that can even boil down to a chemical level?(Those will be explained lol...) Then read this story.

However above all else, and my biggest pet peeve with most stories out there is that there is a serious lack of character development. Or the concept of Naruto just magically acting like a dark character without any previous explanation as to why? No... that is something I as a writer don't agree with.

So if you want character development, and realistic characters...

Then I will believe that you will enjoy this story.

PS:**This is something everyone should see... because it is bold. I made a mistake in later chapters of the story. I realized that the story was going down a darker more mature route. (Not sex, a place many readers jumped to.) Just a darker version of the shinobi world. A more "Realistic" one I like to say. Almost as if you were looking at the shinobi world through Danzo's eyes? It is a nice way I try to explain it at least. Anyways I realized the characters were too young. So I have increased everyone's age in the story to +3 years. (Ex: Rookie 9: 15, Gai's team:16 etc etc) despite the fact that it is not time skip yet.**

**Although I have yet to go through and actually make all of the minor corrections to the story. I am pretty sure there may be a "Kyuubi attacked 12 years ago" line somewhere in there that I haven't fixed yet. So I am sorry, bear with me. I promise you this read will be quite enjoyable despite the age change. Have fun everyone.  
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A cloaked man with an orange mask stood tall overlooking the war torn battlefield before him. Scattered before him were the bodies of shinobi from all of the elemental nations. The grounds were scorched in every direction, some black flames still burning without fuel. He could see every single shinobi he had defeated in the battle before him.

The Raikage, he was strong, and fast. However he was no match for the masked man who would simply allow the bulky man to faze right through him. The action would only prompt him to turn around and send a well placed fireball right at the man while his back was turned. He had no time to react. He was obviously enraged by the fact that he had killed his brother earlier in the war... but the eight tails had to be harvested. It was all for his master plan after all.

Hatake Kakashi laid in a puddle off to the side. The silver haired lazy jounin put up quite a fight, much to the masked man's surprise. Of course... the difference in skill between the two of them was drastic. He was able to put up "Quite a fight" by normal standards. However in the cloaked man's eyes, it was almost as if an insignificant little child came running at him with a chirping hand, hoping for the best. He did surprise him though with his sharingan capabilities. Unluckily for him, it was nothing that the man hadn't foreseen.

Madara took a deep breath of air, and removed his mask for the first time in years. His timeless body had sense lost any need for food or water. It was as if he was a god trapped in a human's body.

He looked down with a scowl at the fallen blue haired woman whom leaned up against the tree. Konan... her eyes were lifeless, but regardless of her situation, even in death she held a peaceful smile that almost seemed out of place on her mysterious features. She had since forsaken her Akatsuki cloak, and betrayed him. Of course, he could rationalize that she was never his to begin with. Since Nagato's death, she had returned to Ame and locked the city down and went into hiding. She became "The Angel" that took over Ame after the fall of their "God". She had only come out after being asked by that insolent Blonde...

Madara grit his teeth as he thought about the blonde shinobi. There was no way that child would ever be able to compete with him! The boy had the audacity to call himself the man's equal? He had been ruining his plans ever since he came into this world. Starting first off with Uchiha Sasuke. People all thought their friendship was deep? Deeper than anything that the world had ever seen! Well they thought wrong. The two fought each other to the death, and the blond after all of his growth as a shinobi had come out on top... again. He should of suspected as much though... ever since what happened at The Valley of the End.

He wanted to blame someone, and if anyone that used to oppose him were alive, I'm sure they would of had fun guessing.

Perhaps it was the pink haired girl, whom always beat the boy down. Her actions perhaps made the blonde stronger? Perhaps they taught him to never give up? That at the end of the road, through all of that adversity, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger? No... it wasn't her.

Perhaps it was the former fifth Hokage. The closest thing the boy had to a mother in real life? The big sister like figure that was always there for him and would look out for him? The one he could go to in order to talk about anything! No... it wasn't her either.

Perhaps! It was the filthy white haired pervert. The greatest of the legendary trio! The man whose sealing skills were only rivaled by one man! One man that was forever locked away, never to return to this world. The man that had taken the blond on a trip and taught him how to live. Not for others, but for himself. He taught him about the Kyuubi's chakra. One of the key stepping stone towards becoming His Equ... no... attempting to become his equal. Yet... it wasn't him...

Was it the young blue haired Hyuuga. The first girl to ever admit her love for the boy? The one that would willing jump in front of danger for the boy? The one whom always believed in him, and was always there for him? No...

All of those people were the obvious choices... but they were all deceived. No the one person was one that had already defied him before even meeting the boy. Had he known her reach had extended so far earlier... he would have dealt with her. For once in a long time, his eyes, eyes that could see everything... he was deceived.

Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage. Who would have thought? Who would of thought something like that would have every happened! She turned the boy into something that the world had never seen in decades! Ever since that fateful day they had crossed paths, had he known that the moment would turn the boy into his rival in ninjutsu... That she would turn into the sole factor in the boys life that would forever make him a threat? That her presence alone could change everything? What she had done was so simple... and yet so drastic.

She gave the boy... Hope...

Thus was why Madara could only look down and scowl at her fallen form. That, and the young man who had since come and crouched over her fallen form. It never had to come to this. The boy just had to surrender peacefully, and then a new era would have started.

"Uzumaki Naruto... The last Jinchuriki?" Madara gave a pause as he got the boy's attention seeing as how he looked to face the man, "Come to die?" he asked is a tired voice.

Naruto stood and looked up towards the man who had caused chaos and invoked terror across the shinobi nations. He reached into his shinobi pouch and pulled out a single scroll. This action caused Madara to narrow his eyes, and quickly launch several fireballs at the boy without the use of seals.

His scowl could only deepen though as the boy's unique technique came to life, the one that made him revered as his equal. The ability to pull water out of this air. It blocked the fireballs with ease as they fizzled out against an equally large mass of water.

Naruto tossed the scroll in mid air as Madara spoke, "Boy, only I can live forever."

Naruto appeared completely unfazed by the statement, and Madara asked the one question that had been forever plaguing his mind. "Why do you live?" he said in a condescending tone.

Naruto looked up and for the first time since he arrived on the scene, thinking about all of the families and friends he had in the world, he knew his answer and it was obvious. "Because I have something worth living for."

The scroll unsealed.

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Naruto kicked a pebble repeatedly as he walked down the street. He had just asked his sensei, Kakashi, if he could train him for the upcoming chunin exam. However the man had declined. Much to Naruto's displeasure. He had told him that Sasuke was going to need all the help he could get against Gaara, and that he had already promised he would train Sasuke. This wouldn't have bothered Naruto much considering it was a promise. Naruto knew more then anyone how important it was to keep a promise. The problem was, he knew his sensei was lying.

He at least tried to line up another sensei to take his place, which was... thoughtful of him. That was until Naruto met the sensei that was supposed to train him. He had defeated the poor bastard with a jutsu designed for perverts, the man had literally passed out. Naruto couldn't rely on anyone that would pass out for hours at a time over a single jutsu that was designed for perverts. So here was his problem. Sure Sasuke was going to have trouble with his fight against Gaara without a doubt. Yet... Naruto was going to have trouble with his fight too, it wasn't like the rookie of the year Hyuuga was going to be any easier. At least Sasuke had a few useful techniques under his belt that could possibly stand a chance against Gaara. There was no way for Naruto to even hope to beat Neji unless he was able to pull some win out of his ass.

So when he arrived at his favorite training ground, and saw a woman in ragged dark blue clothing there walking on water. He was instantly mesmerized, and had already begun making his way over there. Naruto's situation in the village being the Kyuubi's vessel certainly did not make him the greatest candidate for the "Best Dressed" title. He owned very little, and the few things he did own were rather beat up. For example his complete wardrobe consisted of two 2nd hand orange jumpsuits that have been stitched and patched up several times. Then naturally a couple pairs of underwear and a couple black shirts. That and some overalls that no longer fit him, but kept them for sentimental value. To be blunt, he looked homeless.

Naruto sat down on a rock nearby the lake. The woman had since begun going through what appeared to be several different fluidly moving taijutsu stances. He could of swore he saw the water boil and bubble beneath her feet, but he didn't know for certain. He didn't even know if the woman had known of his arrival and the fact that he was watching her. The woman was young and slender, she couldn't be a day older than twenty-five. She had ankle length auburn hair with several bangs, one that continually covered her eye at all times. She had on dark blue nail polish and lipstick, which surprised Naruto slightly. It was... an exotic look in his opinion, at least the color choices. Perhaps it was because of the area where his apartment was located, he was just used to all women wearing ruby red lipstick, high heels, and fishnet clothing with miniskirts. The proctor of the 2nd part of the chunin exam only solidified that opinion since the only other female kunoichi he had seen besides her was one that instead of fishnet, used bandages to cover her body... frankly not much better.

She continued twisting and turning through various movements, it looked like a dance the way she was performing. Then all at once, she stopped and turned into water falling into the lake. The action thoroughly confused Naruto until he felt a hand on his shoulder, and someone lift themselves quickly over the stone to plop down and sit next Naruto.

"I usually charge for lessons you know." she said with a smile as she turned her head to look at Naruto. Naruto nearly flinched when she sat down next to him, but her smile calmed him down considerably. He stayed silent for a moment as he looked out over the lake to where "she" was formerly.

"So how were you doing all of that? Like walking on water." Naruto asked genuinely curious as he turned back to face the woman.

The woman looked amused and replied, "I'm Mei Terumi, nice to meet you too!" she said in an overly cheerful voice that held hints of sarcasm which indeed got Naruto to flinch and look slightly ashamed.

"Sorry..." he said in embarrassment, "I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." he said slowly, hoping she wasn't like most whom after learning of his name often make excuses to leave. However to his surprise the woman just chuckled in amusement.

"Uzumaki Naruto eh?" She closed her eyes and leaned back with both hands on the rock as she gently began swinging her feet back and forth. She looked quite relax, "I've heard quite a bit about you around town." She followed her question by opening her right eye to peer at Naruto to gauge his reaction.

Naruto scowled a bit at the mention of his reputation, but said nothing. So the woman continued.

"They say that you are a demon and can't be trusted." she finished her statement slowly, making sure to say every word. Naruto's expression turned sour once she said that. "That you are a real handful?" She sent him a questioning glance. The boy looked as if he was ready to just get up and leave. Yet her steady hand that she put on the boy's shoulder kept him in place, "Good thing for you, I don't always believe what I hear." she said with a grin as she leaned forward to get in Naruto's view.

Naruto on the other hand was going through a range of emotions with his encounter with this "Mei Terumi". He wasn't a complete idiot, unlike what most people thought about him. He knew this woman must have been someone from another village that was just visiting for the chunin exams. However it was surprising to say the least. He had met plenty of people from other village, and frankly they were the only people that would ever give him the time of day in the village. However if they had already heard about his reputation from the villagers, and they usually do. Most of them find it wise just to avoid him, and that was rather easy to do considering all they have to say is "Avoid the blonde haired blue eyed boy" and they would be fine since he was the only one whom existed in the village.

"I also saw the poster, you are going to be in the upcoming chunin exam right?" she said giving the boy a questioning glance.

Naruto got his emotions back under control, but still didn't trust his voice to broadcast what he was feeling, so he resigned to merely nodding at the woman's question.

She now sat up, and in the process got in quite close proximity with the boy, as she rested her hand on his leg while picking up a few pebbles of the ground and lobbing them into the lake for amusement. "So then why aren't you training with your sensei? I hear that the Hyuuga are rather dangerous opponents, if I was in your shoes I would be training constantly with my sensei."

Naruto clenched his fists at the thought of his sensei. Sasuke was probably out there with Kakashi now, learning all sorts of cool jutsus that would just leave him in the dust when he got back. Then he would get praised even more than he does when he beats Gaara. Sakura will be fawning over him even more than she usually does, and he would never get the time of day. He would just be told to work on chakra control or the basics...

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and tried to remain calm, "My _sensei_..." he said the word sensei with a bitter taste with a pause before continuing, "Kakashi is going to go train my teammate Sasuke for the month."

If Naruto was looking at the woman, he would have seen the slightest unnerving glint in her eyes when he said that. "He left you here? _Unsupervised? _Forsaking you for another teammate? Something tells me this isn't the first time Naruto-_kun_." she said slowly, with hints of worry in her voice.

Naruto scowled, for some reason the woman who was sitting next to him always knew the correct choice of words to say to get under his skin. He prided himself on having a metaphorical mask that he could keep up at all times. A mask he could hide behind to pretend that things didn't bother him when they actually did. Yet here was this woman speaking to him as if there was no mask at all, or as if she knew exactly what to say to just slip under the mask for a mere moment to get her point across.

Naruto stood up and got ready to leave, no longer wanting to continue this... _conversation_ any longer. Yet once he made his stand the woman proposed an offer that he couldn't refuse.

"Well then Naruto_-kun_ how about I teach you? I am from the Hidden Mist village, but I can see that you have a lot of untapped potential and it would be a pleasure to help you reach your potential over this next month. I believe I could teach you quite a bit of things that you would find useful."

Naruto turned to face the woman and gave her a questioning glance. "Like? How do I even know you are qualified to teach?"

The woman turned to Naruto and cocked an eyebrow at him, "Well Naruto. You don't. You just need to trust me. What other options do you have?"

Naruto said nothing, for some reason he knew the woman's statement was that of a rhetorical question. "I am going to have to decline. I have had some bad experiences in the past with teachers deceiving me."

The woman shrugged her shoulders and stood up and walked to the water, calling at Naruto, "Alright then Naruto. I wish you the best of luck with whomever you hope to train with in the coming month." She said as she took her first step out onto the water as several clones of her began to rise up out of the water.

Naruto carried on looking at the woman for several minutes as he watched her go through several sets of taijutsu. He didn't think much more of it then that until she did only what appeared to be three seals and a giant water dragon appeared out of the water circling her clones. The giant beast gave a roar before flying up and crashing back down, merging once again with the water.

Naruto pursed his lips and thought over what the woman said to him and sighed before saying, "Damnit." and going off towards the lake where the woman was.

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Mei Terumi didn't show it but she was barely containing a smile. She had a plan, and the plan was very simple. She wanted to get the boy loyal to her, and she knew that by this point in life it wouldn't take that much. The boy had been ostracized his entire life in his own home. No one bothered to give the boy a chance, and she could tell just by the way they looked at the boy. They gave him condescending stares left and right as if the boy was useless and not worth one's time of day.

Yet that was far from the case, and that was why she was here. The Mist village was formerly a strong nation that had the world's greatest sword wielders in all of the nations. Their power for a time was unrivaled. However now with the long ongoing war that was imposed by the last two Mizukage... that power diminished. Nearly all of the bloodlines in the country had since been purged. If she were to be honest with herself, the best day in the lives of the people whom lived in the water country as of recent was the death of the Fourth Mizukage. He had changed from the young charming boy he once was in a single night, and turned into a ruthless tyrant that followed in the Sandaime's footsteps.

In short, the reason why she was here for Naruto was to obtain the one thing the Mist lacked presently. Power. They were lucky with the fact that at least two of the seven shinobi swordsmen had stayed loyal to the Mist throughout the war. That fact of the matter was that with the loss of five of their strongest shinobi, and the purge of the bloodlines, the Mist was no more powerful than that of the Snow, Waterfall, or Rain villages. Something which needed to be corrected quickly.

When she had received intelligence that Konoha had a jinchuriki that had no ties to the village, and seemingly wanted to become the Hokage with no real reason as to why besides the fact that people would acknowledge him. She had a simple plan. The boy grew up without anyone ever giving him the time of day, or never having time for him in general. She would be the first person that would be there for him. Frankly the plan was simple, manipulative, and effective. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She could only hope that she didn't grow too emotionally attached to the boy, for when she would reveal to him who she is, she could only hope that the boy would side with her and follow her.

She was confident that he would, she just didn't want to become overconfident. She heard a speech that had been passed down from generation to generation in the mist. It was that from some wandering nobody whom was in the art of crafting toy puppets and was said to have a repertoire of a 102 puppets at the time. Yet that wasn't what was important about the man, what was important was what he said.

He said that people tried to coast through life putting forth as little effort as necessary to get by. When left unchecked people rationalize away the reasons they should do their best, or even do at all. He felt that what keeps people in check is judgment of other people they care about. He gave the examples of people wanting their parents to be proud of them, their love interests to notice them, the people they admire to befriend them… and that was why they try. The wise puppeteer said "These connections to other people are strings that constantly tug at you, pulling you in this or that direction. Without these strings to tug at them, people, like puppets, are inclined to do nothing at all."

Truly a wise statement, but nothing ground breaking, of course until Mei continued to listen to the story of this man and analyzed what he had to say.

A young boy whom at the time was listening to the puppeteer could only say that it wasn't right to compare people to puppets, which naturally got the puppeteer talking once again.

"Perhaps." the old man said giving a pause for dramatic effect, "But assuming I'm correct for a moment, what happens when someone becomes disconnected from the strings? When everyone a person cares about dies or leaves, or when they never had anyone to begin with? They are left adrift in an empty world, without ties to other people, and thus very little purpose in their lives."

That was where Naruto came into all of this. The boy was born an orphan, and the only ties to other people that cared about him were weak ones. The Hokage whom was busy running a village and only saw Naruto a few times a year? Or the owners of a ramen bar that he came to become friends with because of his unhealthy addiction and pitiful budget? What reason did the boy honestly have to try hard to become a ninja? With no one to judge him, or to question him for not trying hard enough? His own sensei had cast the boy off to the side in favor of a different student. Naruto was, and still is stuck in a state where he alone had to gauge when he would stop trying. He had no one to tell him that there was a solution to his problems. The boy was a shell of a human, a person that had lost hope.

There in was why she was confident. She could change the boy, change him so that he no longer subconsciously doubted himself. So that he no longer thought he was just wasting not just his time by the time of other people. The fact that he would have a mentor, a real teacher, that could tell him that there was a solution to his problems and that it was within his reach. Her actions she knew would not just boost the boy's confidence, but it would give him hope. Her and her alone would be his reason to try hard, to not let her down because she and she alone believed in him and gave him the time of day.

She knew from first glance that Konoha had failed their jinchuriki, and the most obvious part about their failure might as well of been a bright neon sign with great big letters pointing to the boy saying "I'm clingy." The boy was clingy, not by nature, but by a product of his environment. He would cling to her like a lost puppy after a minor gesture of good will. The boy was desperate, and desperation only attracts vultures.

While Mei didn't like to compare herself to that of a vulture, she knew there was not much else left to the situation. She was there to poach their jinchuriki by showing the boy that the grass was in fact greener on the other side. If it came down to her having to put herself in a situation where she would show the boy love for his first time, he would forever be shackled to her at the hip, the boy would never leave her.

So while her situation and what her plans for the boy may be cold, and that she may be that of a vulture. She much rather be the vulture that pecks at the boy's side rather then the den of lions that repeatedly rips the boy to shreds day by day.

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Naruto sighed as he stripped himself of his jacket, shirt, and sandals before wading into the lake and calling out to the woman whom was now sitting cross legged on it. He swam out to the center of the lake at a relaxed pace, as he saw the woman open her eyes and take notice of him. He swam right up to her, at which point he was swimming right in front of Mei, whom had since moved from sitting to a crouch on one knee. It became obvious to Naruto that the woman was not going to acknowledge him anymore then just staring at him, before he said anything. Especially since he had blown her off not more then ten minutes ago.

"I'm sorry." Naruto said with a frown, doing his best to avoid the woman's gaze. He was terrible with apologies, not because he didn't feel like apologies were necessary, but because he had never been given the opportunity to really give any. "I do need your help. You are all I got." Naruto said trying his best to sound sincere and not make it seem as if the woman was a last resort.

Mei in turn grinned at the apology. There was no point in trying to give the boy a hard time over it when he said he was sorry, and came back to her. "Alright. Then I want your undivided attention this month Naruto-kun is that understood? I want you to give me everything you got, and if you are not I will just stop training you. Why would I help someone whom isn't trying their hardest?"

Naruto nodded slowly at her statement as he continued to bob up and down in the water as he did his best to stay afloat.

Mei gave a charming smile that did it's best to calm the boy. She reached down into the water and grabbed the boy from under his armpits and hoisted him out of the water, despite his initial protests. She ignored any ramblings the boy was saying about essentially being hoisted in mid air over a lake. She calmly said, "Alright, first lesson shall be dancing..."

Naruto stopped complaining about how he was hoisted up and instantly wondered if training with this woman was a bad idea, until she continued her statement.

"On top of water." She finished with a glint of amusement in her eyes as she watched Naruto's face go through several various emotions. "Anyways this is what I want you to do Naruto..."

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Review please and tell me what you think of the first chapter. Usually I post whenever I finish a chapter. However I am in a situation now where I actually finished several chapters before posting. So I am likely just going to post whenever I feel comfortable with the review count for the chapters. Some of you may feel this is selfish and what not, and some may feel "I don't support people fishing for reviews."

However I am genuinely curious about what people think about my stories. If I wasn't, I wouldn't bother sharing them. So it takes five minutes of your time to provide feedback that could possibly turn me into a better writer. Any feedback, good or bad, is greatly appreciated.

Edit: Son of a... this is me reposting the story. I realized from some reviews that were mentioning that there were no scene breaks that fanfiction had screwed up the format of my scene breaks. (They are usually two rows of X's as you see above, but slightly longer. For some reason they didn't go through. So I apologize there. I typically don't have such terrible story format, and didn't even realize that was happening.

Also thank you everyone that reviewed thus far, and the people that pointed out the scene breaks. If you had not pointed them out, I would have surely missed them, and feel like more of a pathetic loser than I already do. I will be sending a pm to everyone that mentioned it as well, so I can salvage what is left of my dignity.


	2. Fool Me Once? Shame on You

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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**XxX Time Skip One Week Later. Three Weeks Till Finals. XxX**

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A week had passed since he had met his sensei. In truth, Naruto felt it had been a week since he had met his _first_ real sensei. He wasn't trying to say that his previous teachers were bad... 'They just weren't good...' he thought dryly. Naruto sighed as he fed himself another mouth full of Ramen. He was having a quick meal before he would go off to meet his sensei. As the week had gone by he had begun to believe that his sensei must have been something along the lines of a gift from Kami herself. She fell right into his lap, like an angel, when he needed her most. She then went on to not only train him, but give him her complete and fully undivided attention.

She wasn't like Iruka, whom barely gave Naruto a few extra pointers outside of class in his last remaining years at the academy, and that was only after he got over the fact that he had the Kyuubi in him. He didn't think he could ever really look at Iruka the same way after he found out that he used to hate him.

She wasn't like Kakashi whom chose another student over him, and constantly read porn whenever he was giving the team even the slightest bit of training. No she woke up early, and would set up the training ground that they were going to use. When Naruto got there she was perfectly ready to work all night if he wanted to, and he often wanted to.

Naruto resisted a flinch at the most recent thought. Kakashi had chose his teammate over him, and left him stranded with no one... competent. Naruto had a pet peeve that he gained growing up as the Kyuubi's host, unknowingly of course. If you are going to stab a knife in someones back, at least when called out on it, own up to it. Don't dance around the subject and try to rationalize your reasoning for the "betrayal."

Regardless he liked his time with Mei. The training thus far had gone quite smooth, and if he was honest with himself, she had taught him a lot. Some practical stuff in the life of a shinobi, and other skills that were just useful to have. For example, he thought it was an utter joke when she said that she was going to teach him to dance... on water. Yet when she had lifted him out of the water, and had him balance himself on her toes as he tried to grasp the right amount of chakra needed to keep himself afloat, he realized that most teachers likely wouldn't ever think of teaching him this way. They would likely just tell him the general idea and then push him into a hot spring or a pool. There was also the fact that he hadn't ever really had close contact like that with anyone. However he would never admit the situation made him blush a bit. He could only hope the woman didn't notice.

She had taken the time, and used some of her own energy to ensure that he succeeded. As such no more then a couple mere hours had passed before she had begun teaching him how to dance on top of the water. A skill that she later explained he may very well need to know some time down the road. Then soon enough dancing had turned to skating. Learning to skate across the water using chakra, moving at speed that typically wouldn't be possible. She had told him that this was a type of training that was implemented in the mist due to their heavy reliance on large bodies of water and water ninjutsu. By the end of the week Naruto could glide around the water at speeds far faster than he could ever hope to run. He wanted to compare himself to how quick that fuzzy eyebrows kid was... at least before he took off those absurd weights of his. Naruto didn't think he could ever compare to that. Not without training his body a lot first.

Once he had learned that concept, Mei was quick to tell him about Kenjutsu. She had seen his taijutsu stance, and felt that it was beyond repair. It would be completely useless to even attempt to try and fix the basic academy style he was using currently in time for the tournament, and as such she had given him another option.

Mizukiri no Yaiba, the legendary water cutting sword of Takigakure. Of course Naruto didn't know of the jutsu's origins, he only knew what the jutsu did. How Mei had obtained the jutsu... was a story for another time. The sword was likely the greatest of the elemental swords out there for one key fact, it was able to adapt. Swords such as the ones made of wind from Suna were strong, and useful for their impressive cutting powers. Yet in Mei's opinion, they failed in the area the water blade succeeded. The sword of water was strong, like any other blade, and could hold up against any of the other elemental blades just fine. The special quality of the water blade was it's ability to change it's shape. For example in the midst of a battle, you could extend the blades length and catch your opponent off guard. Or you could even use the blade as a water source for jutsus, once it was stable of course.

Naruto had taken some time in the late last week to try and get a grasp on how to make the technique work. However he just wasn't able to hold the blade together. So in the mean time he had moved onto a simple technique that he knew he would be able to master within moments. Clones. Sure his track record wasn't that great with clones, and on paper he had a fifty fifty chance of being successful with these clones. But he had a feeling that the more chakra a clone required, the better his chances at success were.

Soon enough that technique had been mastered and put under his belt. What he wanted to do with that cloning technique was to be able to perform it without the need for seals, or at least alter it so he could use one handed hand seals like Haku had used on the bridge.

Naruto calmly left the ramen bar after giving his thanks to both Ayame and her father. He knew that someday in life he would pay those two back for how kind they were to him. Those two were probably the closest people he had in his life, which in general was pretty pathetic considering he was a customer at their restaurant. It almost made him sound like an alcoholic... just with an addiction to ramen? "A rameholic?" he mumbled to himself lightly as he walked down the street before shaking his head clear of those thoughts.

Naruto walked at a brisk pace to the training ground where Mei was sure to reside, likely having already set up the training ground for whatever she felt like teaching him today. Of course at this point he no longer cared about her sometimes questionable methods of training. She had taught him more in the past week than his previous senseis had done in months, even years. He could also barely hold in the excitement that was starting to build the closer he got to the training ground. Mei had said that she had wanted him to learn chakra control first, and then she could begin teaching him justus. Yet since he had mastered water walking by the end of last week, he couldn't help but grin as he got onto the training field, with the thought of new jutsus which he could show off, and more importantly impress Sakura-chan.

"Naruto-kun." Mei said with a smile acknowledging his presence as he got closer to her.

"Hey Mei-sensei. So what are you going to teach me today?" he asked with a grin as he stripped himself of his orange jacket. Since they had been doing a lot of work on the water in recent days, he felt there was little point of him being completely in a jumpsuit for no reason.

Mei gave a small smile and motioned Naruto to come towards a large rock she was standing by, "Naruto. I'm afraid I found out some things... about you which I would like to clarify."

Naruto instantly paled the moment she said that, a thousand thoughts going through his head a second. The most important ones that crossed his mind several times were, 'Does she know about Kyuubi?' and 'Is she going to stop training me?' Naruto reluctantly sat down beside her and waited to unveil the news of what she had heard about him.

Mei ran a hand through her long auburn hair, as she swung one of her legs over the other making her ragged dark blue clothes rise up. One of the many things he would never understand about the woman. How was it she had more beauty than any other woman he had seen in Konoha, and yet she dressed like that of someone who was homeless?

"Naruto," Mei began with a weak smile as she turned to look at the boy, "I heard yesterday after our training. Some of the civilians of this village decided to come up to me and tell me that you are the host of Kyuubi, the nine tailed demon fox. Is that true?" Alright so she may have lied a bit, she already knew about that fact. However it would not hurt to get the boy to trust her even more with her following actions.

Naruto didn't say anything and looked at his feet, not really wanting to answer the question.

Mei however had expected as such, and pulled the boy close, nearly onto her lap and wrapped her arms around him. She quickly felt the boy heat up, and she knew if she could have seen the boy's face from this position, it would have been bright red. "I just want you to know Naruto-kun." She began as she began to gently run her hand through his hair, "You are not the Kyuubi, and in fact this only makes you far more special than I originally thought when I met you. You are a Jinchuriki Naruto."

Naruto had literally felt his heart warm the moment she had told him that he was not the Kyuubi, and appeared to be accepting of his situation. Of course this didn't last long as that feeling was quickly replaced with confusion at the term Jinchuriki.

Mei whom picked up on the boy's confusion clarified what it meant for him, "A product of human sacrifice. I know it may not sound great, but you are a hero Naruto, and you are not alone-"

Naruto had taken the liberty at that point to nearly do a full 180 spin and blurt out, "What do you mean I'm not alone?" He asked in surprise, and an underlying tone of hope. Hoping that there was someone else out there like him.

Mei smile and ruffled his hair lightly, "Well there are nine demons Naruto. You just happen to have the most powerful inside you. My village, The Hidden Mist, we have two jinchuriki in our ranks. They are the heroes of our village for the sacrifice they made in order for our Village to survive. One of them even became the Mizukage due to the general village populace loving him." So she may have stretched the truth a bit on that one, especially since they currently only had one jinchuriki, and then one turtle that was in a gated area of the ocean behind the Mist's main island under heavy watch. However Naruto didn't need to know that.

Naruto gave a weak smile once she mentioned that. It was a good feeling knowing that there were others out there like him. However he couldn't help but be bitter at the fact that they were treated like heroes, where as he was treated like the dirt beneath peoples boots even with the sacrifice he had to endure throughout his life. It wasn't fair.

Mei grabbed hold of Naruto's hand with the hand she wasn't using to run through the boy's hair. "Naruto, Kyuubi makes you special, for example your chakra reserves must be nearly endless right? That and you likely never get tired? You could go without sleeping I imagine correct?"

Naruto didn't say anything, he merely nodded his head. Ever since he had found out about the fox, he had thought the thing was nothing but a curse. Nothing but a thorn in his side. Yet when he reflected back on the beast, every time he was in need, the fox was there to help him. The fox was there to make up for his lack of training.

Mei continued as the boy sat in silence, "Then Naruto I believe I have the perfect training for you, that can allow you to train a hundred hours in a single hour, perhaps even a thousand hours worth of training in a single hour. Yet first, I must give you a lesson, because over the past week I have come to understand a bits and pieces about how you act as a shinobi."

Naruto had perked up at the training, but decided to stay silent and just enjoy the close proximity he had to the woman. He imagined that this was the first time he had ever been held in the arms of anyone since the Fourth Hokage had sealed the fox in him. Everyone else seemed perfectly content with ruffling his hair, as if there was a 'No touching Naruto' clause on the village.

"Naruto you have told me about your teammate Sasuke, whom you say thinks he is so special because he has the Sharingan? You hate the fact that he is capable of just looking at a jutsu and being able to copy it right? You think it is unfair?" Mei questioned the boy in her arms as she rubbed her thumb on the back of the boy's hand.

Naruto scowled at the mention of Sasuke, because it instantly made him think of what Sasuke was doing with Kakashi and the sorts of training the boy must have been getting. Naruto nodded his head in frustration, "I think it is bullshit!" he nearly yelled as he kicked a rather large rock several yards across the training ground. Suddenly his feelings on the subject just began pouring out. "Because of those eyes of his, everyone in the village feels the need to kiss his ass. He even stole parts of a taijutsu style from one of our own shinobi." he finished in frustration.

"Yet why does that bother you Naruto?" she said suddenly after he finished his statement. She spun the boy off and out of her grip, and onto the ground in front of her. "I am teaching you because I believe in you Naruto. I believe that you can become great, probably one of the greatest shinobi that the world has seen in a long time. Yet, in order to become great you need to come to terms that this is a world of killers. That your life is training, and becoming stronger. That you have to wake up every morning and realize that it is do or die. The sharingan is a tool, an ability that allows the wielder to copy any jutsu he sees. However don't fault him for using it, get mad that the world is the way it currently is. Your teammate Sasuke uses that ability for whatever reasons he likes, yet it all comes down to whether he should copy the ability and at least have the knowledge of it for later use, and it very well could save his life some day. Or not to copy a jutsu, and then later down the road his life may be at stake, and he could of saved it with that single jutsu he chose not to copy because people felt it was wrong?"

Mei ran a hand through her hair as she knelt down next to Naruto's form on the ground and placed a firm hand on his chest, "I am not trying to defend your teammate Naruto. However I have told you before, I am not training you to be good in these finals. I am not training you to do great in these finals. I am training you to win these finals, and to be the champion of these chunin exams. In order to do that I need you to realize that in our life, where it is a constant struggle between life and death, there is no such thing as fair and just. I am going to train you to take every advantage, every opportunity, and then how to fight not just well, but tactically and intelligently. So do you accept that Naruto? Or shall our training together end here?"

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath of air, "No I understand what you are saying." he said a bit bitterly. '_Not that I have much of a choice..._' he thought bitterly. He hated the fact that she was right, not for the fact that she was right in general but more so since the subject was about Sasuke. Even when the Uchiha wasn't around, he somehow seemed to come up. "So what is this training method you have for me?" he said as he gently removed the woman's hand from his chest and sat up with a frown on his face.

Mei chuckled to herself and had a small smile on her face as she looked down at the boy and picked little pieces of dirt off his back. The sound of her laugh warmed Naruto's heart. He had to admit he was a bit awkward socially, he didn't really have many friends. The ones he did have, that he could loosely call his friends were very few and far between. He couldn't even say his team was close which was rather pathetic. Even when on a team, the members couldn't help but be at each other's throats over something. He couldn't remember the last time he had even heard playful laughter, and it not being someone specifically laughing at him. It was quite relaxing to hear.

Mei stood up and sat back down on the large stone the two of them were formerly sitting on, "So now Naruto I am going to tell you a secret alright? Don't tell anyone. When you told me that you had possession of the shadow clone jutsu, I realized how I could train you. Now while it is one of Konoha's forbidden techniques, one of my shinobi had caught a Konoha shinobi sticking their nose in places they didn't belong in my village. As such when captured and facing interrogation, the coward had offered to trade jutsus in order to escape interrogation and leave the country. The Kage Bunshin was one of the techniques my shinobi obtained."

Naruto stared at her questioningly and tilted his head to the side silently, looking in wonder. This eventually proved to unnerve the woman and Mei closed her eyes in frustration and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Naruto paused and opened his mouth to speak before closing it. This happened several times as he tried to form the words and he eventually said, "Well... I am just curious now about what rank you are in your village. You consistently just said that they were "My shinobi" and "My village" "My shinobi obtained" you were talking as if they were your shinobi. I am ju-"

Mei had gotten wide eyes momentarily at the boy's analysis of her statement. '_And here they say that Uzumaki Naruto is a bit on the slow side?' _She thought to herself as she realized that she would have to choose her own words more carefully when speaking to the boy from that point on. Although... she could always bully him in to not stressing over it... She cut him off saying, "I will tell you my rank when we arrive at the chunin exam finals, alright Naruto? No earlier. You will also not pester me to tell you, and you will not go out seeking what rank I am. If I find out you are, our training together will be done with. Understood?" she said with a cold gaze as she looked down on the jinchuriki.

Naruto reluctantly nodded his head. He wanted to know more about Mei, but not at the cost of him losing his only teacher for this month.

"The training I have never would of worked had I not found out today that you were the Kyuubi jinchuriki." Okay so maybe she lied a bit there, she always intended to have the boy go through with this training, she just didn't know when. "The shadow clone technique is unique and different from any other clone out there that I know of. The reason for this is because the shadow clone creates an exact copy of the user, and once dispelled, any information the clone obtains when summoned is transferred back to the user. Now I know you must be thinking, 'Why haven't I noticed it before?' and this is what I believe. What you have told me from your fights, you never used the clones to do anything more then full on frontal attacks. Frankly Naruto you are very tactical. They weren't really taking in more information, and I bet you felt that you were just very aware of your surroundings, rather then noticing that the clones were actually constantly sending information to you every time they were dispelled."

"They theory is that when you are using the clones for training, any form of training you do, besides physical training, the clones will retain that information and transfer it back to you. This training however would never work with anyone besides you Naruto, because you have such high chakra reserves. Other people wouldn't be able to sustain that many clones. Do you know how many clones you can make Naruto?" Mei asked, slightly anxious as she gave her explanation. The possibilities... all the things this boy could do if he chose to train like this constantly. A single body that has the opportunity to learn a full year of experience in a mere day if done right. He could be the most powerful shinobi on the planet. She could only thank Kami that other villages didn't know the Kage Bunshin jutsu, and Konoha had kept their jinchuriki ignorant. Otherwise all of the jinchuriki in the world could have thousands of years under their belt in experience before they have even left their teens.

Naruto frowned as he thought about it. He had been told that creating shadow clones were dangerous, but in all honesty, he had never felt the slightest chakra drain using them. That part he naturally blamed the fox for... not that it was a bad thing of course. Naruto shrugged after thinking it over, "I could probably make a thousand or something like that just fine. I don't really feel any chakra drain when I make them, so I don't know how many I can make really..."

Mei did her best to hold in her surprise when the boy said that he could make a thousand clones if not more. However when the boy had told her that, a whole new idea had come to mind that she couldn't help but grin at. "Naruto I have several things I need to help you with, such as your seal which you told me about. I will eventually get to it but... tell me... what do you know about your Nidaime Hokage?"

**XXXXX**

**x Scene Break x**

**XXXXX**

Naruto sighed as both he and Mei went off for their break from training. She had been training him since 8:30 in the morning till 3:30 in the afternoon. To most ninja, they wouldn't consider that very long. However what she had Naruto do would have tired any shinobi out. Naruto didn't know what Mei was getting at when she mentioned the Nidaime Hokage. Yet after she explained how the Nidaime Hokage became one of the greatest shinobi in the world, and thought of as the world's greatest water jutsu user by even shinobi of the Mist. His chakra reserves were that of which she could compare to a former shinobi in her ranks. Naturally Naruto wanted to comment when she said "Her ranks" but he bit his tongue so he wouldn't lose his teacher. The shinobi had since left her ranks, Hoshikage Kisame, supposedly the greatest of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman. He had a chakra supply of that of a tailed beast, and that was whom she compared the Nidaime to.

She explained to him that her people had been trying for years to pull the water molecules out of the air, to do water jutsus without any preexisting resource. However it was just impossible for the average shinobi. The concept of pulling the water out of the air is extremely simple, yet the reason no one can do it is for the fact that they literally need to saturate the air around them constantly with bits of their chakra. It wouldn't really be that great of a technique if it weren't for the fact that since it is your chakra saturating the air, only you can use the water in the air, and no one else can just come out of a corner and create a water dragon right in your face.

So with that thought in mind she had Naruto start working on the technique with the assistance of clones. Again it wasn't a hard concept or skill to learn. Many of her shinobi in the mist could do it... just not effectively due to how much chakra was required to do so. As such Naruto had picked up the technique quite quickly and was able to do it in a single area effectively. Now her task for him was one that she was even forcing him to practice now. Saturating the air with chakra even as they moved around. Something that would certainly be harder to do, but if her could learn how to do it. He had the makings of becoming one of the best water users in the world simply because he could create water jutsus without a preexisting source.

They rounded the corner and Naruto started making his way to Ichiraku Ramen, but he was halted by Mei's firm hand on his shoulder. "You need to eat something other than Ramen. There is nothing wrong with how much you eat, however I am not going to sit here and eat Ramen for another week. Come on." she finished spinning the boy around in the other direction.

Soon enough they were upon the BBQ restaurant frequently visited by team Asuma, so naturally he wasn't surprised when he saw their team there along with Yuhi Kurenai. However what Naruto didn't expect was to catch sight of Gai's team. The sight of Neji made him scowl. Not for the fact that they were to be pitted against each other in the exams, but for the fact that the guy was an asshole. Who the hell hospitalizes their own cousin, even after he knew she was beat? When Naruto and Mei were getting seated, as Naruto walked by Neji he kicked his chair quite hard, making it slide a good foot. Usually ninja's have an expert sense of balance and it wouldn't of been a problem except for the fact that Neji was busy eating as if he was at some high end ceremony. So the meat he had between his chop sticks fell flat to the floor.

He appeared quite angry the moment it happened until he realized whom did it. He said just loud enough for Naruto to hear, "You should really respect your betters dead last."

Their interaction had gained the attention of most in the restaurant, and they waited patiently for Naruto's comeback, if he had one.

Naruto held back a scowl at Neji using the insult that was used by most of his classmates. He wondered if the fact that he had the lowest scores, and was the dead last in the academy would plague him for the remainder of his shinobi career? Doing his best to not show that the comment bothered him, he shot back "Whatever you say girly-locks." Naruto had to admit he felt rather lame with that insult. However it isn't about how the insult sounds, it is about the reaction you get out of the person.

Neji bristled in his seat and self consciously adjusted his hair a bit. He tried to look amused at the insult, despite the glare in his eyes, "I see. I guess failures flock together. I can see why Hinata is taken with you." he said calmly in a level speaking voice. It didn't stop the said voice from reaching all corners of the room since it was dead silent, everyone curious about the encounter between the Hyuuga prodigy and the village scapegoat.

Mei put a hand on Naruto's shoulder on that comment, hoping that Naruto wouldn't do something stupid. Yet Naruto wasn't called the most unpredictable ninja for nothing. Naruto shrugged out of Mei's grasp in an instant and stormed up to Neji over his comment about Hinata. It was fine if you were going to harass him, but it angered him when anyone would drag in any of his friends between one of their arguments. Naruto got into the boy's face who had since stood up and glared down at Naruto.

"I'll remember that when I got my foot on your face, and pulling that stick out of your ass in the finals _Hyuuga_." Naruto said with a snarl at the older boy before him.

Neji gave a fake smile, but in an instant Naruto was sent tumbling back by a quick gentle fist palm thrust to his chest that left Naruto in a world of pain and with blood coming out of his mouth. Everyone knew that they would have stopped the encounter if they knew one of them would have resorted to violence. That and no one expected it to be Neji who lost his cool in the argument.

Gai looked gobsmacked at the fact that his student would do something so... so... unyouthful. Although before he could make a comment about it Neji excused himself stating, "I have to train for the more impressive fighters in the upcoming exam."

Mei was kneeling down beside Naruto, and promptly gathered the attention of all the people in the room since Neji had left. Her hand rested and Naruto's chest and began to grow green and she said calmly, "You should be more in check of your emotions."

Naruto laying down had tears in his eyes from the severe burning pain in his chest, "Hehe... yeah." he said through gritted teeth, "I will get him back though." he said in a gasp.

Mei shook her head, "I wont always be here to help you. You know that right?" her statement was a rhetorical question, she knew that he knew she wouldn't always be around. She could only hope he wouldn't do anything stupid like that again.

Naruto gave a weak nod as he laid there.

Mei did her best to brighten the boy's spirits by asking him a simple question, "So what do you want to eat?"

Naruto produced a strained laugh at the 'What do you want to eat?' but shook his head as he picked himself up on weak legs. "I'm not hungry anymore." he said slowly as he started making his way out of the restaurant leaving shinobi of all ages looking at his retreating form.

**XXXXX**

**XXXXX Chapter End  
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That wraps up this chapter. Hot damn, I got a lot of reviews. Thank you everyone that reviewed. It actually helped quite a bit, and I have been going back through the stories touching up on things that weren't really addressed.

Two things I will like to mention that I have gone and touched up on are: Iruka, and Naruto's seal. These were both mentioned multiple times, and I have touched on them a bit in the next few chapters. (Scattered across the 40k+ words I currently have for this story lol...)

I also want to say thanks a ton for the people who pointed out the lack of scene breaks. You have no idea how much of a failure I felt realizing that the scene breaks I had didn't format correctly when sending this into Fanfiction dot net uploading... area... thing...

**Lastly and I feel most importantly, since I am sure there are going to be comments on it.**

**Neji...** Anyways about Neji. I am not trying to bash his character or anything, and I feel this needs an explanation because I feel that I likely will get flamed for this. This story was originally just going to be written for myself from chapter one, to Naruto's inevitable fight with Neji. The reason for this was merely I wanted to try and create a hype. In the manga they say Sasuke's fight with Gaara was the most awaited match that everyone wanted to see. The last Uchiha vs Gaara of the Sand. Alright it makes sense. However I wanted to take a crack at creating hype for a fight, and as such this chapter (as well as others) will express me trying to build hype.

Sorry about the long AN. I will finish this off by saying, please please please review. Your reviews that you gave were incredibly helpful, and I don't think I found an honestly unhelpful review for the last chapter. So thank you everyone. Any comments you have about the story, please feel free to post them. I respond to every review that is worded as if it is a question to the author. (IE "I wonder if Naruto will see Jiraiya", its not a question to the author, it is speculation. "Are you going to have Naruto see Jiraiya?", question to the author. I will respond to any of these, just don't complain about spoilers. Sometimes when answering these I will get carried away and give a bit more information then asked for. So ask questions at your own risk.)

Next chapter shall be out once I am comfortable with the reviews and feedback again.


	3. Fool Me Twice? Three times? No

**Timeskip one more week. Two weeks till finals.**

**XX**

Naruto had a huge grin as he made his way down the street to the clothing store. Ever since Naruto had started applying shadow clones to his training, every day... no every hour he would grow in leaps and bounds. He had since perfected drawing out water from the air around him. It put a strain on his body, but he was sure that would lift as he used it more often. However that wasn't why he was grinning, because he learned far more than that.

The water cutting sword he hadn't been able to really get a hang of last week was now perfected within an "hour" of training at the beginning of the week. Since then he had been training personally with Mei off to the side on his body and how to utilize the sword to the best of his ability. The style was interesting, it was based on being extremely fast over bodies of water and dealing quick and overwhelming kenjutsu blows with the ever shape changing blade. Naruto just wished he could figure out a way to take the style to the next level.

So in the meantime while trying to figure out a way about making the style better, he had begun mastering random jutsus designated by Mei as he personally worked on his body. The first, and definitely most memorable of jutsus that he was taught was the Water Prison. Mei explained to Naruto how the prison was often used just to stop the enemies movements, and then finishing them off when they had no where to run. Much to her displeasure she described how the Seven Shinobi Swordsman were well known for using the ability to disable half of a team and forcing them to watch as they killed off the other half before them. Naruto knew he could only be thankful that they had that reputation and tendencies. If Zabuza had chosen to take care of Kakashi the moment he caught him in the water prison, him and his entire team would be dead by now.

There was one thing that made him smile when he thought about this training though. Zabuza could of killed Kakashi, and the battle was over before it even began. Added to the fact that Haku could have stepped in at any time. The concept that those water users were not only stronger then Kakashi, but stronger than his entire team combined regardless of their injuries. Well... his entire team minus Kyuubi. The fox was just an unfair advantage in any circumstance. Regardless, the thought made him grin that he was learning some of the water jutsus that had been used by shinobi better than his sensei.

The next jutsu he came to learn over the week was very entertaining to watch when coupled with the fact he could do water jutsu "without a source" which of course was just pulling the molecules out of the air. The Water Wall, a standard water jutsu that became legendary in the hands of Konoha's Nidaime Hokage. The jutsu would create a spinning vortex of water around the user that operated like a shield. Due to it's spinning properties, it was nearly impenetrable by most jutsus. The only ones that could really stop the technique were solid earth techniques. Even the counter element, lightning, was rendered useless in the hands of the late Hokage. The water's current would merely provide a channel for the lightning to flow on before it would fizzle out like some weak fire cracker.

Naruto had also begun trying to create one jutsu that he felt could assist him in making this kenjutsu style he was learning even better. The problem was he was trying to learn it with one handed hand seals, because if he couldn't do it with one handed hand seals or without the use of seals, the technique was completely useless to him.

Naruto broke himself from his train of thought as he appeared in front of the shinobi clothing store. Much to his displeasure, he found both Sakura and Ino in one corner of the store, and he did his best not to be noticed. Mei despite the clothing she wore seemed to have a ton of money. She gave Naruto an absurd amount of cash to buy his clothing from the store, and she just said, "Get something nice, and blue." Naruto could barely contain his grin. He usually never had money to buy clothes that he wanted, so he stuck to the orange jumpsuit. However he did like blue, it matched his eyes quite well. Of course Naruto wasn't some fashion hound... but he did have a sense of what looked good and what didn't. It all came down to the money to buy it.

Naruto was already in quite impressive shape before his training with Mei. He just never showed off his figure due to the fact that he always wore baggy jumpsuits. The training Mei had him doing only further improved how toned his muscles were. The standard training of a civilian could take months to obtain a desired level of fitness, where with a shinobi it could be done in mere weeks with the assistance of chakra. One of the reasons Naruto couldn't help but be impressed with Lee whom didn't have that privilege and yet still kept in the best shape possible.

Now Naruto was by no means bursting at the seams with his muscles, but he did have muscles that were hard as a rock, that were hidden by his jump suit. Yet with the money in hand, he had the intent of buying something that showed off how hard he worked, and show everyone that he worked extremely hard at becoming a ninja contrary to popular belief.

Naruto walked over to the area of the store dedicated to pants and shorts among other things. He was doing good staying out of Ino and Sakura's line of sight as well. Naruto pulled some very dark blue overalls off the rack that he knew would loosely cling to his body, and the lower half would actually be quite loose on him. Naruto was a fan of overalls since he was a kid, mainly because before you can buy shinobi clothing you have to be in your final years of the academy. So in the meantime Naruto would always wear these green overalls over a black shirt with his green goggles and run around causing mass chaos.

Naruto did have a feeling though he would look rather nerdy wearing overalls, so he held onto them but did his best to try and find something else he could use to... "spice up" the outfit. He walked past a series of standard shinobi pants, something he didn't really want. He had been standing out his entire life, no point trying to conform now. Especially when it appeared that no one really gave a damn about him, particularly his "sensei" Kakashi. That thought naturally made him scowl, and brush his was past the typical chunin, jounin, and anbu pants that reminded him all too much of Kakashi's typical attire.

Naruto came across a rack with an assortment of different sashes and for a moment he for some reason became mesmerized and began thinking over his potential outfit in his head. There were numerous sashes just hanging there, typically worn by sword specialists, but on rare occasions by shinobi. They were mostly all in bright colors such as red, orange, and yellow. Likely trying to stay true to Konoha showing it's will of fire. However there were a few others, such as a simple black sash. There was one that did stand out from all of the rest, and he knew with Mei telling him to get something blue, she would love this. The sash was long, going down to the ankles. It only covered one side of his legs so it certainly would be an interesting contrast to see one leg covered to the ankle, and another showing the standard overall shorts that went a bit past his knees. When Naruto picked up the blue sash he realized that it had an intricate black design that reminded him of something along the lines of sea dragons, or sharks diving and reemerging on the water's surface. He quickly took it off the rack and draped it over his arm with a grin.

He now realized that with his current clothing, having any form of tool pouch would be rather odd, so he didn't even bother looking for them. It wasn't like the style he was working on with Mei was really reliant on ninja tools anyways. If something came up that changed that... well he could cross that path when he came to it.

Naruto walked to the other side of the room where there were several assortments of armors on the wall. It ranged from chain mail, to small bucklers, to full on gauntlets. Naruto when he saw the gauntlets could only grin. He had been doing things big his entire life, no point stopping now. 'Go big or go home right?' he thought to himself with an amused smile. He grabbed a gauntlet off the wall that would cover his entire left arm. The thing appeared to be flexible, but he still needed to try it on. The one thing he was happy about was that prospect of it being another way to block incoming attacks. He wielded his sword in his right hand, and most battles between two skilled opponents with a sword often revolved around a series of parries before a final blow. However if he could just snatch an opponents blade out of the air mid swing, and then cut him with Naruto's own water sword. While slightly dangerous, it was far more useful then anything else he could spot in this store.

Naruto didn't notice as he made his way to the changing room, but he had attracted the attention of both Ino and Sakura whom moved over to stand right outside the changing room waiting for him.

Ino moved with Sakura and sat down in the chairs just outside the changing room. "Why are we waiting here for Naruto?" Sakura asked dryly as her friend forced her to sit down and wait for the boy. It wasn't that Sakura hated Naruto, it was just he was so annoying with how much he asked her out. Why wouldn't he ever understands no means no?

Sakura had conveniently ignored the fact that Sasuke had told her no countless times as well, because frankly what did that have to do with anything really...?

Ino sighed, "Forehead, where have you been? How can you not be the slightest bit interested in Naruto right now?" Ino said in exasperation surprising Sakura sitting next to her. "Didn't you hear about his encounter with Neji? Nearly everyone from our class was there, where have you been? Naruto and Neji both got at each other's throats. I mean who would have thought that Naruto of all people would have made it to the finals?" Ino laughed a bit to herself, "And we called him the dead last." she said with a weak smile on her face.

Sakura pursed her lips at this information. She actually did hear about the encounter Naruto had with Neji, but really paid it no mind because she was all hung up on when Sasuke would be returning to the village. That thought put a sour taste in her mouth that she had so blatantly ignored one of her teammates in favor of another when they were both in the finals. What if Naruto needed her help or something? However this only brought up more questions, like why wasn't Kakashi-sensei training Naruto as well as Sasuke out of the village?

She didn't get her questions answered as Naruto walked out of the changing room. His outfit in her opinion was completely odd and stood out, but at the same time looked quite good. She would never admit it out loud, but Naruto looked good in blue. It matched his eyes.

Ino however was much more vocal in her opinion of his clothing. Between the whistling and playful cat calls she sent his way which promptly caused Naruto to spin around red in the face. "I love it Naruto, you look great." She said as she moved closer to the boy, "However the overalls... really?" She said as she shook her head.

Naruto currently had his overalls up, with the straps over his shoulders, however by Ino's look, he knew she felt that in her eyes it just didn't work and was not afraid to tell him.

Before Naruto could react, he was in Ino's grasp, and she was taking his arms out of the straps. She then proceeded to make light incisions into the sides of the overalls, and folded them over his waist and let the straps just hand there loosely, barely covering the lower half of the overalls or part of the sash.

"Ino! What are you doing! I haven't even bought these yet!" He said quickly gritting his teeth.

"Oh hush, I'm making you look good." She said as she waved her hand playfully as she continued to go to work on his clothing.

Sakura whom was just standing off on the sides this entire time thinking of all of the bad things she could say about Ino to Sasuke, like how she was all over Naruto in a clothing store suddenly stopped her train of thought. When Ino had pulled down the overalls and folded them on his waist, they both never expected for it to reveal tight six pack abs. It was common knowledge that you needed next to no body fat to be able to show off abs like that. Thus was the big mystery. 'How did this idiot...' she thought in wonder, 'how does he have such low body fat with how much he eats?' She got a red tint to her cheeks as she continued to look at Naruto and promptly looked away.

Ino on the other hand being far more confident and less shy then Sakura tapped her hand against Naruto's abs a couple times before saying, "Impressive! Someone has been working out eh Naruto?" she said with a wink which made the said blonde blush before she reached up to the boy's blue headband. She noticed as soon as she begun to untie it that he double wrapped the headband, hiding half of his length.

The action of her untying his headband nearly made Naruto push the girl off of him. That was one of the things he didn't want anyone to put their hands on. While he didn't like the news he heard about Iruka all those months ago, it was still one of the best gifts he had ever gained. He wasn't going to have some random person fuck it up. Although... at present time he was too surprised with the fact that he was this close to one, if not the, most popular girl in his graduating class as she fawned over him and touched his body. His teenage body was having a bit of trouble adjusting to the situation.

Ino quickly adjusted Naruto's headband in a way she felt would look best on him, and much to Naruto's surprise she adjusted it exactly to the way Zabuza had his headband on. Over the head with remaining length of the headband going down the side of his face.

Naruto took a step back from Ino and examined himself momentarily in the mirror. He had to admit, her look was a thousand times better then what he had worn before, but still he felt the need to throw out some form of a false time constraint. He felt that if he didn't soon, he would be stuck her modeling clothes for Ino all day. "Hey Ino, thanks for the help, but I really need to get going. You know, things to do, people to see? All of that stuff." he said quickly as he backed his way out of the changing room.

He gave a quick wave to Sakura, but nothing more then that as he briskly made his way to the counter. He dropped a bit more then the desired amount of money on the counter, not bothering to wait for his change and quickly made his way outside. Unfortunately for him it appeared that both Sakura and Ino were in the mood to follow him, like they had nothing better to do. On any other day, he would of loved the attention he was getting from the two girls... but not when he was busy training for the Finals.

Naruto rounded a corner a stopped as his gaze narrowed. In front of the shinobi weapon shop stood both Neji and Tenten. Neji was facing the opposite direction, with Tenten facing Naruto, albeit from a significant distance. Naruto held back a growl at the sight of the boy. Normally he wouldn't attack someone from behind, especially when intending to start a fight. However the fucking white eyed asshole had attacked him last time they met, and this time his ass was going down.

Naruto marched up at a rather quick place, preparing to hit the boy quite hard in the back of his head with his gauntlet encased fist. He was going to take much pride in knocking that "All seeing" girly looking prick to the ground.

Naruto rushed up in the final steps getting ready to attack the supposed Hyuuga prodigy, but this action was noticed by Tenten whom rushed in front of Naruto and nearly hugged him at the chest doing her best to hold back the impressively strong boy. "Naruto!" she said quickly as she tried her best to push him back several feet, which was nearly impossible until both Sakura and Ino whom were following him and stepped in and assisted the girl. There was no need for some brawl between the two to happen in the middle of the streets.

Naruto shocked at the fact that three people were restraining him couldn't help but voice his opinion when Neji turned around, "Let me at that girly bastard! I'll turn his white eyes black and blue!" he said as he shook against his human restraints.

Tenten turned to her teammate, "Neji get out of here, there is no need for another fight." Yet by the time she had said that she realized what her teammate intended to do.

The Hyuuga genius had since activated his family bloodline, and as Tenten stepped off from trying to restrain the blonde and moving to restraining her black haired teammate it was too late. The black haired genius was too quick. He once again had slid in and given Naruto a vicious palm thrust to the chest, while Naruto was being restrained by two girls whom thought they were helping the boy. The girls instantly let go of the boy on reflex when they saw the attack coming, hoping that Naruto would get out of the way. Yet Naruto could only slump to the floor and once again, luckily this time not coughing up blood. Through blurry vision he watched as the Hyuuga prodigy smirked and gave him a condescending stare and saying, "Give up Uzumaki, you are fated to lose against me always. It would only be foolish for you to intend to fight me at the finals." he said calmly before walking off.

Tenten had rushed over to Naruto nearly shouting in his ears a string of apologies with slightly teary eyes. She didn't know Naruto that well, but the fact of the matter was that her actions were the ones that caused him to get hurt. That fact alone hurt her own pride. With her role model being Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, the greatest healer in the world. Her actions causing someone to get hurt, and having no way to help the boy afterwords... well it was a significant blow to her pride. She had intended to stop a fight, and thought that her teammate would have taken the high road. She knew that Neji could get violent, but the boy was never even that violent with Lee. She had no idea why this boy got on her teammate's bad side so easily. Neji wasn't one to just get angry and attack someone over a simple tournament. There had to be something more to this rivalry that was starting to grow between the two, something more then just the upcoming finals.

Naruto grit his teeth as he sat up, he wasn't in near as much pain at the first time, perhaps it was like he was used to the familiar burning in his chest. Still it didn't stop a scowl from spreading to his face as he stood on shaky legs. He looked down the long street as the Hyuuga prodigy turned the corner and his first thought was to chase after him. However he took a deep breath and relaxed himself. He knew he had things to take care of, but he did know there would be one place he would be visiting later.

The library.

**XXXXXScene BreakXXXXX**

**XXXXXScene BreakXXXXX**

**Time skip, 7 days till the finals.**

Naruto gave a heavy sigh as he walked down the street beside Mei. He was close to mastering the technique he had been working on. He had technically already accomplished his intended goal with the technique. He just wanted to try and be able to utilize the technique without hand seals to make the skill all the more powerful. The technique wasn't even hard really, it was merely a variation on another technique. However if he could do it without hand seals... it could prove to be one of the more deadly abilities out there, and in his arsenal.

That aside he did have fun learning several techniques over the course of the week. This week unlike last week it was mostly offensive techniques, much to Naruto's pleasure. The first jutsu was one he knew very well, hell how could he ever forget the first really destructive jutsu he had seen? The Water Dragon. When Mei had told him that he would be learning that, at first he wanted to laugh, until he realized that she was serious. She didn't even teach him the technique that required forty seals, she told him that shinobi from the hidden mist village once upon a time stole a scroll from an enemy village in hopes to learn several techniques. Among these techniques were genjutsu such as the bringer of darkness technique, but more importantly, the person they stole it from created a way to utilize the water dragon jutsu with a single hand seal? Truly an amazing feat. Unfortunately for her and the shinobi that stole the technique. The single hand seal was only viable for a water dragon if you had enough chakra to just override the need to use all of the seals to do the different chakra moldings required for the technique.

Now there was always a saying among shinobi, and civilians alike that goes something along the lines of "You need to learn to crawl before you can walk, you need to learn to walk before you can run." essentially saying that there was an order in the way things get done. Naruto found out this week that Mei did not believe in that order, at least when it came to training. Naruto felt that if she was an instructor teaching students how to swim, she would take them into the center of a lake, and push them off and telling them to swim to shore. Dangerous, but usually quite effective. So when Mei had come to him and told him that if he didn't get this technique right, he would blow off his arms... well he chose to stick to it but be extra careful... which meant using clones as sacrificial lambs as he began to learn the technique. Later on however after mastering the technique and realizing none of his close actually had their arms explode, Mei had in fact told him that she had lied. Naruto felt like an idiot.

The next technique he learned over the course of the week was extremely useful and in reality Naruto thought it was the perfect offensive water jutsu. The Water Fang Bullet. The deadly technique was simple yet effective. You could conjure yourself up tiny little whirlpools in the water that could rise up still having the spinning motion on the water. The current that is applied to the rising water gives it the potential to maim the opponent quite effectively. The fact that you can make them sprout up virtually anywhere there is water only adds to the dangers of the technique.

The last technique that Naruto was able to perfect this week was quite simple, much to contrary belief. The problem with the jutsu was the required amounts of chakra that were needed to perform it. Added to the fact that Naruto had been learning to perform this jutsu without an initial water source... well the technique would be nearly impossible. Mei had told him that only two people in history, at least to her knowledge, had been able to perform such a feat without a water source. The technique was commonly used to create a watery battle field, fueling the power of any water user out there. Yet for Naruto this technique was mainly a way to quickly perform the ability to draw water from the air. Naruto didn't personally feel the technique was that useful for him, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth on the subject.

As Naruto walked down the street with Mei in step with him, he could barely contain his smile. The thought that he had come so far in such little time? All he needed was the experience, and he knew that he would become quite the shinobi. This was something Mei also took time to acknowledge and she even told him that she would try and figure out a way for Naruto to gain some experience before the exams.

Yet his happy and cheerful mood instantly turned cold as he rounded the corner on a restaurant. He then remembered exactly why he had been training, and why he had gone to the library for information. That white eyed pretty boy was sitting in the outside area of the BBQ restaurant where they initially had their first encounter. Naruto grit his teeth at the thought of all of the encounters he had with the boy over the past month.

Mei had caught eye of Naruto's sudden stop and attempted to reach out a hand to keep him calm, but it was far too late for that.

Naruto had begun his approach.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX Meantime at the table with Neji XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The table was littered with several Konoha shinobi that had made it to the preliminary rounds of the exams. Kurenai's team was absent from the table, although she was present. Sure she was not the greatest fan of the Hyuuga male sitting at the table, but she wasn't going to let that boy get in the way of her spending time with her boyfriend, Asuma.

Asuma had all of his genin here, and he had for the majority of the month had a fourth member of the team that was Sakura. Despite how much both Ino and Sakura fought each other, they still remained friends, even if distant. This only became even more evident after their battle at the preliminaries for the exam. Yet he had to admit, as bratty at the two could get, they were both rather amusing and fun company to have around. Especially with the fact that until just recently, both Shikamaru and Chouji were wrapped up with their families most of the time training.

Shikamaru sat at the table leaning his head back over his chair. He was tired, and that much was obvious to everyone around the table. When his dad had found out that he had made it to the chunin exams, despite the lazy attitude that they both shared, they had both decided to dive right into training for the finals. However the day to day training wasn't so bad... at least until this week where it had begun to take a toll on his chakra coils. It was one of the main reasons as to why he had free time right now to go out with his friends. He wasn't supposed to be training. From now on, he would just work on strategy with his dad at night before bed, and a bit more in the mornings before he went in to get his assignments for the day.

Sakura and Ino spent their time at the table chatting amongst themselves. They both were throwing ideas back and forth about what exactly Sasuke was learning from Kakashi during this one month period. However as they began to talk more and more, not only just now, but over the last month about what Sasuke could be learning... Naruto came into conversation. Now it was not typical in the slightest for Naruto to be the topic of conversation for the girls. However this month, not only just them, but nearly anyone who lived in Konoha had been thinking a bit about the young Uzumaki. The word of his encounters with the Hyuuga had only served to spread across the Village, and rumors spread by Yamanaka Ino spread like a cancer.

The final trio worth mentioning at the table were that of Gai's team... well... of the members that could walk that is. Lee was still held up in the hospital gravely injured. Tenten had actually shot up several notches on Naruto's favorite people list. Ever since she essentially assisted Neji in getting Naruto injured, she had been coming by his house almost daily to check up on him. If Naruto was honest with himself, it grew to be almost annoying. Yet she still insisted on checking up on him, and showing him that she was sorry. While it was a sweet and kind thing to do, there was no way it was going to stop him from getting Neji back. Especially after the entire village had gotten word of Naruto getting his ass handed to him twice by Neji, when the cheap bastard only decided to attack him at times he is not expecting it or couldn't fight back. Gai was the final member of the team whom didn't know how to act with the current situation. He prided himself with having the most "Youthful" students around. Yet this tournament had shown him that one of his students had fallen farther then he could of imagined. Crippling your cousin? Attacking fellow Konoha shinobi multiple times? Gai didn't know if he should stand behind his student and support him, or if he should support his eternal rival's student.

The group sat at the table calmly talking, they had more than likely just finished eating and were just sitting around talking and drinking their sodas. Though the group's topic was one that the village had been stumbling onto continuously.

"Neji, I still don't understand how you could do that! I was holding Naruto back so that you wouldn't have to fight! Why would you go and attack him?" Tenten said through gritted teeth. Everyone at the table knew that the subject was extremely touchy for the weapon user, and that she felt an extreme amount of guilt about what happened.

Neji stayed silent and calmly took a sip of his soda before replying, "The kid is a failure. Whether I attacked him or not had no consequences. The boy is not going anywhere, and he is nothing special, his academy records show that just fine. The fact that the Inuzuka had lost to the boy should bring shame upon his family."

The group stayed silent at that, Kurenai giving the boy narrowed eyes as she let the boy's words sink in. She was tempted on putting the boy into a multi-layered genjutsu until she saw a couple turn the corner down the block.

She saw Naruto and strangely enough that same woman whom Naruto decided to eat with a couple weeks ago walking down the block. That was until Naruto stopped dead in his tracks before clenching his fists. She knew exactly what was going to happen. She could only hope the young Uzumaki wasn't the one whom ended up hurt once again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Back to Naruto XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto threw caution to the wind and briskly moved in with a slight jog that slowed to a quick walk as he grew closer to the table. Mei had taught him a lot of things other than just jutsus over the month. Such as a shinobi being in control of their emotions was like an unspoken rule? Well Naruto told himself 'Fuck the rules, I have never listened to them anyways.'

Naruto quickly rushed up to the black gate that seperated the restaurant from the street and Neji had his back to, and he promptly got the attention of everyone at the table. However most were too surprised by his appearance to even say anything. It is too bad for Neji that his eyes couldn't see full circle at all times, or he would have seen this coming.

"Hyuuga Neji!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed the boy by the neck with one hand and the back of his shirt with another. "I am not going to wait for the finals!" Naruto yelled as he threw the boy over the gate and caused him to roll several feet through the street. His white Hyuuga robes were now covered in dirt and dust stains.

The Hyuuga prodigy was quick to get up with a glare of Narrowed eyes and activated his Byakugan in an instant, sliding into his families fighting stance.

Naruto however paid no mind as he backed up to the table ever so slightly, reaching behind him to grab the alcoholic drink that Kurenai had since poured into her cup. The others at the table had expected her to protest, particularly Gai. However Kurenai could very well care less what happened to the Hyuuga prodigy, and frankly was hoping Naruto was able to give the boy a significant injury.

"You back stabbing, white eyed, girly haired, little bitch!" Naruto said a string of curses as Neji's muscles tensed as he prepared to slide in for what Naruto didn't know, but happened to be several well aimed tenketsu attacks that would have left the boy immobile.

Neji slid in quickly preparing to strike out with both hands, and everyone at the table thought Naruto was once again going to get his ass handed to him by the branch member. Yet, Naruto once again surprised them. He pivoted to the right, letting the first strike pass right by him as he caught the boy's other hand with his free hand. Naruto then Used Kurenai's alcoholic drink and splashed it into the boy's eyes. The boy didn't even see it coming, a family prided on being able to see everything closed their eyes as rarely as possible to keep up with everything happening in the battle field.

The key problem with any of the eye techniques of Konoha that many fail to realize is simple. They actually have to be actively looking at you for them to work at all.

Neji closed his eyes in pain, no longer seeing in his perfect full circle vision and spun around trying to get the burning substance out of his eyes.

"Hey Neji!" Naruto yelled as he cracked his fists before sliding into a fighting stance, "Come finals, your ass belongs to me!"

Several people at the table had their eyes open wider in surprise as Naruto slid into the fighting stance. "Hey..." Tenten began as she stared at Naruto in surprise. Gai finished her statement with slight disbelief in his voice, "The gentle fist fighting stance?" he said in a low whisper.

Neji spun around to Naruto, having since cleared a bit of alcohol from his eyes. Neji turned to Naruto and looked at him with blurry vision, but any movement the boy could have seen, he had no time to react to.

Naruto slid in with the fighting stance that Neji had used the past two times to attack him. It only felt just that Naruto return the favor. He could only hope that his trips to the library to uncover exactly how the stance worked would pay off.

Naruto reached his palm back, gathering chakra in it before violently hitting the Hyuuga in the chest. The effect was instantaneous. The boy curled over Naruto's hand gasping violently in pain before shooting off down the street a good fifteen to twenty feet.

Everyone at the table was wide eyed in surprise, and most couldn't help but feel the slightest bit happy at the Hyuuga getting kicked around by Naruto now.

"Oh my god!" Ino exclaimed like a giddy schoolgirl as she grabbed Sakura by the shoulders and shook her, "Naruto just used the Hyuuga family signature style to get back at Neji? Can you believe how many people are going to start talking about this after I spread this around?" Ino said with the slightest glint in her eyes that made anyone whom knew the gossip queen well get a bit of a sweat drop in the back of their heads.

Gai, Kurenai and Asuma had all stayed silent as their students got into a bit of back and forth bickering about what had just transpired. They watched and prepared to step in at any time as Naruto walked over to the now fallen Hyuuga prodigy. They couldn't shake from their mind the simple idea that was, _'That... was not how the Hyuuga fighting stance was supposed to go...'_

However Gai could finish the thought as he looked at the young Uzumaki in wonder and then down the street to the young woman in ragged blue clothes. '_It didn't look intentional but... Naruto just used the basic steps of Tsunade's legendary taijutsu...'_

Naruto paid no mind to all of the crowd that had now gathered around the group of them. He was too busy sifting through all the memories that flooded his head as he thought about his encounters with the boy laying at his feet. Naruto sighed deeply and reached into one of the very few pockets he had on his clothing now, and pulled out a roll of several papers held together with a string and a little tag hanging off of it.

The tag read, _The Gentle Fist_. The copies of the fighting stance he pulled from the library. Now who is the Hyuuga to say that the fighting stance is useless without the byakugan? Naruto didn't know a damn thing about the style, all he wanted to do was read through the basics of it, and learn that palm thrust to turn the white eyed girly boy into a heap of trash on the ground.

Naruto set the scroll down right by Neji's face and walked away.

However if he had stuck around longer, he probably would have grinned at what he heard Ino say.

"Did you see that Forehead! Naruto gave the signature Hyuuga palm thrust, to Hyuuga Neji! How personal can this get!" she asked in an excited tone. Even if the event had occured several minutes ago. Everyone couldn't help but admit that the blonde's energy had been rubbing off on everyone else at the table, and they couldn't help but grin at what the girl was saying.

"Can you imagine what it is going to be like at the Finals!" she yelled as she slammed her hand on the table with a huge grin.

Everyone at the table had thought something along the lines of, '_When word of this gets out? I doubt that Uchiha Sasuke vs Gaara of the Desert will be the most awaited match of the finals...'_

**XXXXXXX Chapter End XXXXXXXXX**

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Alright there you have it. Originally this chapter was going to be split in two parts (a week each). However I felt it was too short. So I responded to all of the reviews that asked any questions, I know this for a fact :). If I didn't, it was because I didn't feel your review was worded as a question, or you did not allow me to send you a PM. A person however did have a good question, where I couldn't PM him.

"Are you going to be anywhere near the end within the 40k words you have written already?" Answer: Hell no. HEEEELLLLLL NO...

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Some of you may like or dislike how I have depicted all of the characters in this chapter. I am usually heavily against bashing of characters, and as such you see me making Sakura and Ino actually rather decent people. Everyone has their own explanations for their actions, and if characters ever get highlighted in my story, no matter how minor, are usually going to have their actions and reasoning explained. (Example: Kurenai. Cares less about Neji for what he did to Hinata, and insulting Kiba. However she doesn't care much about Naruto either being bitter at the fact he beat Kiba with such lame luck.)

I will also note that you aren't really seeing any character development between Naruto and Mei and just a lot of the training is being glossed over. I understand this as well. A lot of development will happen after the invasion. I really wanted All of the characters that will be developed during pre time skip to be around before I really start show casing everyone.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and a lot of comments were brought up about wind chakra and Naruto's seal Orochimaru placed on him. The seal will be addressed. I don't really know about my plans for wind chakra.

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Anyways please review, again they have been a major help. Someone actually pointed out and reminded me of some things I said in the first part of the story that really saved some continuity faults. So I would like to thank Ackley Gale. Without his review I really could have screwed some stuff up without realizing it. So thank you again.

I will end it here saying Please review, like the above paragraph, every week something gets pointed out that I do end up going back and correcting. I also have seen a few interesting ideas in these reviews that I may implement into the story at some point.

**So every one of your thoughts and comments on this story helps, and I do respond and take all of this to heart. So this wraps up the chapter, and it also wraps up the "Hype" phase before the exam. So on a scale on 1 to 10 how well do you think Hype was created for the battle? Please give a rating and a little information as to why it is rated as such. Anyways everyone have fun.**

Also, no ifs ands or buts, the chunin exams will be 1 chapter per fight. So if I dabble into a 3.5k word chapter somewhere? Don't complain.

Quick chapter replace here not even an hour later. What I mean by 1 chapter per fight, I am not including Temari or Sasuke's canon fights. hint hint?

Another Chapter replace that corrected some typos in the story. My apologies.

Also a note to add for people questioning the outfit. The outfit Naruto wears is a near replica of the outfit Jecht(from Final Fantasy X) wears. I felt it would fit into Naruto's fighting style, and even have future plans revolving around that gauntlet of his. So yeah... if you can't visualize the outfit. Check out that picture. (I think it is the overalls that throw people off honestly.)


	4. To Bring a Sword to a Fist Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Quick note: For anyone having trouble visualizing Naruto's outfit. You can just google "Jecht" from Final Fantasy X and get an easy feel for it. Some people said it would be a bit too flashy, or non-ninja like or whatever. I slightly agree. However Naruto has always been flashy, and the main thing that threw people off were the overalls, which I can understand. However his outfit itself is a plot device that will grow in chapters to come, so I am afraid the outfit has to stay, sorry people.

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**Time skip, day of the finals.**

Naruto adjusted the gauntlet on his arm with a smile plastered on his face. He was currently in the waiting room with all of the other contestants of the chunin exam. He was also able to note that it appeared that there were a couple contestants missing, his teammate included. Much to his disappointment Mei hadn't been around the majority of the day, she even said they wouldn't be meeting at the typical training ground in the morning because she had things to take care of related to the hidden mist village.

Naruto had completed his jutsu he had been working on the past month, and with Mei's urging he even worked on a simple lightning technique, if he could even call it that. It was more basic manipulation using a couple hand seals. The technique didn't even have a name, it would just shoot out a current of lightning from your hand at a given distance for a couple seconds. Naruto couldn't even hold the technique very long especially since he hadn't even worked on lightning manipulation. However Mei said that a couple seconds was more then enough for what she intended him to use the technique for.

Naruto had pushed the thought from his head the past few weeks that Mei had told him that she was training him strictly to win. However this week it became perfectly evident that that was the case. This week any training Naruto did for techniques was strictly on his own time because Mei had begun to work with Naruto in gaining him combat experience and developing strategy for the opponents in the exam.

He never really thought he would ever enjoy it, but reading up on opponents? Strategy? To him it was actually rather exciting. Not as exciting as him summoning fifty to a hundred unarmed clones at a time and forcing them to fight him constantly for an entire day obtaining experience... but exciting none the less.

Naruto's head perked up as he heard the contestants being called to the field by a man wearing a bandana with a senbon in his mouth. He glanced around silently observing his opponents as they made their way to the field. His eyes lingered on Neji's form a several seconds longer than the rest. To say a rivalry sprouted between the two of them this month would be an understatement. Naruto felt that there was more of a rivalry between him and Neji then there ever was between him and Sasuke.

When Naruto got onto the field, his thoughts about his rivalry were only solidified. Up in the stands one would have to be blind to not notice an entire section full of white eyed, black haired males and females. Yep, the fighting between him and Neji had certainly attracted the attention of most of the Hyuuga clan. He even heard silent mutterings about an outraged Hyuuga clan head stomping into the Hokage's office demanding for him to be punished.

The thought couldn't help but make him grin. While he wasn't as close to the old man as he was in the past. He had to admit that the man did know how to control his shinobi. It had been spread around the village that the Hyuuga clan head stormed into his office demanding Naruto's punishment. The old Sarutobi, unknown to most was in a very bad mood, even Naruto didn't know why. He was quick to barrage the clan head with a series of questions along the lines of, "Oh I did not see you complaining the previous two weeks Hiashi. Perhaps I should give your nephew twice the punishment of whatever you wish for me to give Naruto? Seeing as how the boy had attack Uzumaki twice in the past two weeks? Or perhaps I should merely state that Uzumaki was acting in self defensive against your clan or more specifically your nephew. Perhaps it is because of his now, quite rational fear of being attacked by your nephew without warning?" He continued barraging the man with questions and statements which promptly lead Hiashi to flee the Hokage office after a mere minute of statements and various punishments he could inflict on the Hyuuga boy if Hiashi wished to play favorites. He already knew he was going to have to break the "No fighting outside of the matches" rule for the two young shinobi.

Naruto wished he could of been there to see the Hyuuga clan head's face.

Naruto glanced over silently to the red head whom was participating in the exam. Naruto remembered quite well what the boy had done to Lee. Yet he hadn't been on his mind until the past week during his training for the exams with Mei. Mei had reminded him time and time again to start paying more attention to the red headed boy, seeing as how he would be solely the most dangerous competition he would have in the exam besides perhaps the Uchiha whom was no where to be found.

Naruto had spaced of the senbon chewing man's introduction to the exam, but knew he was going to be the first to fight. So he had one simple question, and the answer would tell him if he could go with his plan A or plan B strategy.

"In the chunin exams after Lee's fight with Gaara," everyone had turned to look at Naruto as he asked his question, "you would fix the stadium after previous battles. Are you going to be doing that here?"

The senbon chewing jounin raised an eyebrow at Naruto's question and shrugged, "Well those preliminaries you guys had were a first time thing. However it is a rule for the finals in every village except for Iwagakure that the battlefield must remain the same. The five Kages when developing these exams felt it was necessary to keep the chunin exam final's battlefield the same and force the possible future chunins to show their ability to adapt to different situations."

Naruto nodded to himself and continued to ignore the proctor of the exams that was essentially stating the same things that were said for the preliminaries. He spent his time looking around the stadium trying to find Mei, but much to his displeasure he couldn't find her. However he did see his teammate Sakura in the stadium, and she gave him a wave when he looked at her. He assumed she was returning the favor for the fact that he cheered her on in the preliminaries. He doubted that she was just being genuinely nice. As big of a crush he had on her, he knew her better then that. She was rarely, if ever, genuinely nice to him.

"Uzumaki Naruto vs Hyuuga Neji..." the proctor called as he read their names off of a paper.

Everyone else in the stadium save the most anticipated shinobi battle of the finals left the ring. This left both Neji and Naruto to get into position. Despite the hundreds of people in the stadium above them, when the proctor had called for the fight to start, the area was deathly silent.

Naruto and Neji stood across from each other, neither in direct striking distance. You could cut the tension with a knife it was so thick. The small gusts of wind that flew through the stadium floor, kicking up bits of dust.

Naruto began to back up to the wall, which caused Neji and several of the Hyuuga's in the stadium to smirk. "A wise choice, to flee Uzumaki." Neji stated with a condescending smirk on his features.

Naruto ignored the comment as he allowed Mei's words and practices over the past week to guide him as he pulled out a sealing scroll. "I am going to make this battle so one sided that you are going to look like a disgrace to the Hyuuga family name." Naruto said in an even tone that mirrored Neji's which got the stadium's attention.

_I told you Naruto that I was going to teach you so you can win this exam. If you have learned anything from my teachings, the one thing I want you to remember is that you utilize any advantage you can that could adhere your opponent. That is why the very first action you take in the exam is going to be creating the field your home. To make it so you always have the advantage no matter the situation. That is why this scroll will be your first step to victory._

With that Naruto stuck the sealing scroll onto the chunin exam wall and unsealed the contents. Water flooded out of the scroll at rapid speeds, as if a dam had broken. The action surprised everyone in the exams, even more so than Naruto's new outfit. Neji looked on in mild surprise as Naruto continued to stand by the water that was flooding out of the scroll and quickly filling the chunin exam floor.

The shinobi that were on the ground floor when Naruto had asked his question about altering the stadium all had narrowed eyes. They never imagined anything like this when he asked the question. Any plans they were forming in their heads or had previously formed were completely changed now that the exam could very well turn into a battle on top of a lake. The majority of the shinobi in the exam were now all thinking about one thing '_chakra_'.

Sarutobi sighed as he held his head in his hand. Frustrated would be a nice way to describe how he was feeling. With all of the commotion around the village the past month about Neji and Naruto had certainly caused him problems. However he wasn't even thinking about Naruto's encounters with Neji. It was whom Naruto was repeatedly seen with. A woman whom his shinobi reported to be dressed in blue most of the time and had auburn hair. At first he smiled when he heard the news, the thought that someone was giving the boy the time of day was a nice thought. The boy deserved some happiness. Yet as he continued to hear more and more about it, he started to look into it. He sent several shinobi to track the woman down and question her, yet she always seemed to evade any form of pursuit. However they were all able to report her features but never her name.

Sarutobi at that point took the time to take matters into his own hands. Yet once he had, he felt the damage had already been done. He wished he took matters into his own hands earlier. If he had, perhaps he wouldn't be in this situation.

Sarutobi paused his train of thought as both he and the Kazekage were staring down from the Kage box in mild surprise at Naruto's action. Sarutobi more so than the Kazekage. He had never expected Naruto to ever pull something like this for a tournament, but in general the concept was genius. At least until he thought back to the woman and scowled. This obviously wasn't the boy's plan. He could only grit his teeth as he continually visualized a woman with auburn hair, and could honestly only remember one woman that truly stood out amongst his memories in that regard.

Sarutobi looked around with the eyesight akin to a hawk at all of his jounin, but particularly the jounin of the rookies as the observed Naruto's change to the battlefield. He could tell that their faces were trying to hold back some surprise of the boy's action. However it was justly so. The boy had forever changed the exam for people and forced them to constantly be draining chakra. It wasn't that big of a deal for a Hokage to stand on water, of course not. Neither was it a big of a deal for Naruto, a jinchuriki to stand on water. Their chakra supplies were vast. However Naruto could more than likely stand on top of the water all day with his reserves and not even feel winded. This was in contrast to the average shinobi with genin training. Well number one, they very well may not even know how to stand on water in the first place since it is a chunin level practice. Number two, a genin could very well show signs of tiring after a mere fifteen to twenty minutes on top of water. The thought that they would need to compete in several rounds doing this? It was a rather sinister, but intelligent way to secure one's self a position in the later matches.

Sarutobi could only look on in amusement as Naruto got up from a crouch by the door, still across the field from Neji. He had presumable just got done blocking off any possible ways the water could leak out of the stadium.

"Quite the plan your Uzumaki Naruto has." the Kazekage said as he glanced over to Sarutobi.

Sarutobi couldn't help but chuckle at the man's statement, if only he knew. He was about to respond to the Kazekage, until his problem decided to do so for him.

"Oh yes, I believe the tactics I taught the boy will work quite nicely on mere genin Kazekage-sama." a female voice said as she made her presence known.

An Anbu launched into the room next to the Hokage, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, I wanted to stop her, but the Mizukage insisted on gaining her seat in the Kage box as par the rules agreed upon for the chunin exams by past Kages."

The old Hokage gave the woman a bitter stare, while the Kazekage seemed to be silently seething at the situation. Sarutobi sighed and shook his head, "Well I am never one to deny a Kage their rightful seat." He said through gritted teeth as he stared at the blue Kage hat in the woman's hand. She was flanked by two guards, one wearing the signature Mist hunter ninja mask, and the other being the famed youngest of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman, Chojuro.

Sarutobi sighed as he took in the woman's features, and most notably her Auburn hair. He found Naruto's sensei, he just had a hard time truly believing it. He idly groaned at the fact that the Nidaime, his former sensei had insisted upon every Kage being given the opportunity of having a seat in any Chunin exam if they so choose to have one.

"Long time no see Hokage." The woman said in a cold tone as she sat in the seat she had been given for the exams.

"Mei Terumi..." Sarutobi said quietly, but the woman quickly responded.

"I believe that is Mizukage to you, Hokage." she said staring at the man intently with cold eyes.

Sarutobi ignored the comment and said, "I see it appears your side won the civil war then?" he said with a hint of frustration.

"Why yes, we did win. Of course, this is with no thanks to you... since you denied us any assistance in the war." Mei said quickly as she gazed down to the field.

Sarutobi said nothing as he had long come to different conclusions as to why the woman was here. However one of the key reasons he rationalized was to rub the fact that she became Kage without his countries help. Yet more importantly he feared she was here for something more. Revenge.

He pushed the thoughts from his mind as he stared back down at the now thirty to forty foot deep lake of a stadium.

Naruto stood on top of the water across from the Hyuuga whom was still waiting in a typical defensive stance. He had read in the library that they were renowned for their patience in battle. Waiting for the opponent to attack, and for them to counter, and press the advantage. However Naruto with his action of unsealing a lake had since put a deadline on the Hyuuga's patience.

"I am perfectly content with standing on this lake all day, I promise you I have more chakra then you do!" he yelled over to Neji whom bristled a little at that. He had only practiced water walking a couple times in his shinobi career, and he didn't doubt the shadow clone making shinobi across from him had more chakra. He just knew that chakra meant nothing unless it was used efficiently. Sadly, playing the waiting game over a body of water was an efficient if not taxing way to utilize superior chakra reserves.

Neji relented realizing he only had a certain amount of time to finish this fight before he would lose and began to make his way forward.

Naruto grinned as Neji began to make his way to Naruto, and Naruto too made his way to the center intent on meeting the Hyuuga half way.

"I am fated to win this match, Uzumaki." Neji said as they got within thirty feet of each other.

Naruto grinned, "For what you have done over these past two months? I will give you every ounce of sweat, every ounce of blood, you will get my absolute best in this battle Neji... that is if you deserve it." Naruto said this time looking at Neji as if the prodigy was not worthy of his absolute best. However this action goaded the Hyuuga into attacking, which was exactly what he wanted to have happen.

Neji rushed forward into melee combat with Naruto, a place that the Hyuuga typically dominate. Naruto was quick to back peddle waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Neji struck forward with his right hand aiming for a tenketsu in Naruto's bare right arm which nearly hit, but only served to graze past his skin. That was the problem with the Hyuuga fighting style, it wasn't nearly as damaging if the Hyuuga couldn't hit the tenketsu's effectively. So if Naruto merely was constantly moving around while Neji continued to press the advance, the chances of the Hyuuga doing any damage significantly dropped.

"Your clan is arrogant Neji!" Naruto yelled as he dodged an attack aimed for a tenketsu just above his heart. "To assume that your fighting style could never be used by someone not from your clan." He said quickly avoiding a palm thrust directed toward his stomach.

Neji followed into a spin hoping to catch Naruto in the neck with his left hand. However Naruto was quick to bring up his left gauntlet clad arm to block the oncoming strike. He kicked forward quickly to Neji's abs which was deflected with a palm strike down on top of Naruto's leg that caused him to grit his teeth in annoyance. Even the boy's blocks were offensive.

Neji kept his momentum from pressing down Naruto's attack, and used it to do a full sweep to Naruto's legs. However Naruto saw it coming, and this merely provided Naruto with the stepping stone he needed to reveal his technique. Naruto hadn't worked at all during the month on taijutsu, but Kenjutsu on the other hand...

Naruto gave a vicious punch to Neji's jaw that sent him tumbling backwards as he hopped over the boy's leg sweep. Neji was sent back a good ten feet skipping across the water, which gave Naruto the time he needed to make a ridiculously long Katana that allowed him to keep Neji at range. Sure this typically wasn't the length of blade he practiced with, but the situation called for it.

The action caught everyone's eye in the stadium. However it wasn't the blade that caught their eyes, it was how it was made.

"You were able to teach the boy how to utilize water jutsus without a water source?" asked Sarutobi in extreme surprise as he looked down at Naruto with a blade in hand and time seemed to slow for the old man as he couldn't help but see the Nidaime in Naruto due to the formerly unique technique being displayed in front of him. It was as if the man was seeing a ghost.

The Mizukage stayed silent but she couldn't help but smirk at the sight before her and she leaned a bit forward in her chair to observe the battle better. She knew this match should be absolutely no challenge for Naruto, and couldn't help but feel a bit bad. After all of the hype that had been created across the village after Naruto's attack on Neji, they were going to be disappointed how one sided this battle would surely turn out to be. Naruto had brought a sword to a fist fight.

Naruto rushed forward swinging the long sword forward, right where Neji was formerly crouched at regaining his bearings. Many of the shinobi and spectators of the exam were impartial to this. However the rookies that had known Naruto were extremely surprised by Naruto's actions. He was aiming to kill.

Neji had rolled out of the way from Naruto at the last second, much to Naruto's displeasure. Neji realized that the dodging and rolling was forcing him to rapidly shift chakra to different areas of his body making him waste even more chakra than he initially intended. However he was in no position to bitch about it as Naruto gave an a quick underhanded swing from the right going up that would of take Neji's head clean off if the boy hadn't ducked.

Neji jumped back quickly to dodge another swing from Naruto that would have cleaved him directly in half from top to bottom, before he tried to close the distance and give a strike to Naruto's shoulder intent on making the arm immobile.

This action however wasn't going to fly with Naruto whom quickly hit the incoming arm down with his free gauntlet encased hand before following up with a backhanded uppercut to the Hyuuga that sent the boy sprawling once again across the water.

Naruto this time wasn't going to take the time to make the water blade, and give Neji time to recover. He pressed his advance with the currently one sided fight. Naruto became the poster child of "bringing a sword to a fist fight" to everyone in the exam.

Naruto rushed up not allowing Neji to recover and grabbed him by the neck with his gauntlet and proceeded to toss him roughly into the air, just enough so the boy wouldn't be given the opportunity to try and role off to side again. After all, you can't dodge in mid air...

Naruto suffered an attempted tenketsu strike, but it was effectively useless on the metal arm. He gave a slash to the right which could of very well slashed through Neji's ribs. How Neji was quick to bat the oncoming blade over his head, much to Naruto's surprise. He had forgot in the one sided battle that the water sword, like any blade, could be parried by a well timed strike on it's flat side.

Neji came back to the ground only to be forced to dodge several stabs. They came at him in a flurry from all directions that got the crowd roaring. Left side of the head. Right side of the head. Narrowly missing his left shoulder. Nearly piercing his throat.

Now the blows were quite easy for Neji to dodge having practiced the gentle fist all of his life. Yet the situation he was in was constantly going down hill, like playing with fire. When you play with fire sooner or later you are going to get burned.

Neji got "burned". A quick change from stabbing to a single slash across the chest caused Neji to double over in pain, which Naruto only proved to capitalize on like any true warrior would, and gave him a near jaw shattering knee that packed an enormous amount of strength behind it. It sent Neji flying backwards nearly hitting the wall, and that was when Naruto revealed his personal jutsu.

Six small foxes made of water shot quickly out of the water, and if you stared intently out of the water, you would see that there were even more running around under the surface. The foxes rushed Neji whom despite his wound was able to quickly hit the two that attempted to pounce him out of the air. The problem was that the foxes appeared to be never ending. He would destroy two, and they would merely turn back into water like Mizu Bunshins. Add to the fact that ever one he killed three more would seemingly come out of the water from the end of the arena and eventually begin to once again leap at the Hyuuga.

Soon enough Neji was forced to reveal his families technique, the Kaiten. The swirling deflective sphere of chakra ripped to foxes that charged at him to shreds, and served to make a thick mix of water and water saturated chakra in the area. Neji was no where to be seen.

Naruto held up his blade defensively peering through the mist for the Hyuuga whom had really no place to hide, and yet was doing quite a good job of hiding in the mist.

It felt like hours to Naruto that Neji was in hiding, when it could have really been mere seconds. There was the deafening roar of the crowd that was screwing with his sense of sound, something that didn't make him any more comfortable with the situation. Naruto eventually fed up with waiting for Neji to come out of the mist quickly manipulated the water in it and forced it to melt back into the water lake below.

Now in the shinobi world, time is everything. A second early or a second late could be the difference between life and death. So when Naruto had dissipated the mist and found only the large empty scroll he had used to fill the stadium up with water laying where Neji was kicked into the mist. It was by sheer luck that Naruto spun around blade poised out ward realizing the Hyuuga prodigy had used a replacement jutsu with the scroll on the wall and attempted to flank him when he could barely hear because of the crowd's obnoxious roaring.

Neji had taken a leap, likely intent of delivering a palm thrust to the back of Naruto's head, and action that would have surely killed him or at least put him in the hospital for an extended period of time. The only fault in his plan was when he turned around and there was Naruto with an near eight foot skewer of a blade there, for him to just skewer himself on. Luckily... the blade had merely struck the boy through the stomach and not the heart, so the match was instantly called by the proctor.

The silence that had occurred when Naruto's blade skewered Neji only lasted mere seconds before loud cheering from everyone in the stadium like blood thirsty animals, or idiots watching something akin to dog fights. Well everyone save the Hyuuga's section. Naruto noticed the children his age didn't agree with what happened and how the battle ended, but... Naruto didn't care. Hell people were chearing "U ZU MA KI! U ZU MA KI!" over and over. Acknowledgment over friendship for the time being was what was on Naruto's mind.

A medic came up to Naruto whom Naruto briefly explained that they would just need to channel chakra into the blade to keep it's form since he already had done the shape manipulation for it. However if the blade no longer had chakra coursing through it, it would merely dissolve into water. Anyone with half a brain would know why the blade dissolving before they had adequate means of helping the boy would be terribly bad.

Up in the Kage box Mei could barely contain her grin, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the Hokage or the Kazekage. She promptly excused herself stating calmly that she was going to go congratulate "Her student."

Sarutobi remained silent but couldn't help feel a level of hatred he hadn't felt in a long time over the woman stating that Naruto was... her student. He suddenly felt like cursing the fact that he ever signed Kakashi off to go take Sasuke to go train so he didn't get utterly slaughter by this Gaara boy. Perhaps if he didn't Naruto wouldn't have been so... ruthless. He knew that he failed the boy since he was likely clinging to the woman like glue. So trying to find a way to remedy the situation was needless to say tough. He only wished that Jiraiya had actually tried to find the boy seeing as the man was currently in town. It fell on his own fault that Naruto had gained a teacher... quite possibly the best teacher alive from the Land of the Bloody Mist.

Moments after the woman had left, an Anbu appeared and said, "Sir Uchiha Sasuke still isn't present for his match with Gaara."

"I believe we can always move their match back a bit, isn't that right Hokage-sama?" The Kazekage asked with a questioning glance.

Sarutobi sighed as he ran a hand through his gray hair. He needed another successor so he didn't have to make these decisions anymore.

Naruto sighed as he made his way back up the stairs to the waiting room for contestants in the exam. He knew he probably wasn't the most well liked person amongst the contestants after he completely reshaped the playing field. However it was just something they were going to have to deal with now, unless they want to try and dive down forty feet leaving themselves open to attack.

Sure enough when he had made his way up the stairs there were several glares shot his way, which he ignored. He was prepared for it anyways. He made his way over to the railing next to Shikamaru and Shino with a grin, "So how did I do?" Naruto asked in amusement knowing full and well that despite the challenge Neji could have posed, Naruto had the perfect defense and offense to use against the boy. Forcing him into a situation where his own skill set was rendered ineffective less he wanted to take the chance of getting his arm cut off by a blade in the way. Add to the fact that if Neji tried to stall, he would merely waste his chakra and be forced to give up before he passed out in the water.

"I thought you over worked it." Shino said calmly, much to Shikamaru's amusement as the bug user continued to stare out into the stadium not even turning to address Naruto.

Naruto scowled at Shino's statement. Despite trying to change his personality a bit at Mei's request and not letting his emotions get a hold of him Naruto scoffed, "Overworked it? Damnit..." he finished with a mumble as he kicked the railing he was resting on with a frown on his face.

"Well I believe you were quite entertaining Naruto-kun." A female voice which caused Naruto and the rest of the room to turn and acknowledge the new found presence.

"Mei-sensei!" Naruto nearly yelled with a grin as he quickly walked up and gave the woman a hug, seemingly not taking in the woman's appearance. However that was not to say that everyone else in the room hadn't taken in her appearance.

Temari of the Sand was the first to voice the opinions of everyone else in the room with just one word, "Sensei?"

Mei smiled lightly and pulled Naruto to her with her free hand and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm hurt Naruto, you haven't noticed anything different about me."

Naruto promptly took a step back flushed slightly in embarrassment at missing something different about his Sensei of the past month. That was when he took the woman in. It was hard to believe, but she looked far more beautiful now if well fashioned blue shinobi garmets with the mist symbol hanging on them. She was distracting if Naruto was honest with himself. However for some reason he felt that that was Mei's intention with her current look, to be distractingly beautiful. Yet the final thing Naruto rested his eyes on was the hat in her hand. The hat that looked a lot like the Hokage hat... but blue... with the water symbol on it.

It suddenly dawned on him. All of those times she refused to tell him her rank. All of the times she addressed the shinobi of the mist as "her shinobi." Naruto realized he was not just staring face to face with the first person that truly gave him the time of day. The first person that trained him and prepared him for this tournament. No he was standing face to face with one of the five kages. Renowned as one of the most powerful people in the world.

So naturally upon finding out about this Naruto's intelligent reply was simple, "Whaa?"

Mei laughed.

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So there you have it, a really one sided battle, yet quite believable in my opinion. This wasn't one of the more tactical fights that I plan to showcase. I wanted to showcase with this fight that some battles I write, the opponent may just be purely outclassed because he is fighting a skill set that is just completely overwhelming and oppressive against his own.

So you got a bit more of a underlying reason for Mei's actions, but not much. I want to keep her a enigmatic character for awhile, and that you don't really know her true intentions at least until this exam is over.

I will settle everyone down with saying, only Naruto's battles are going to be a chapter long actually.

I also feel that I will just start posting chapters whenever I hit around the 60 review mark or whatever. Reviews for this story seem to continually hit up there. So thank you all for that.

As for your reviews, I haven't gotten to all of them yet. I have been a bit busy. That being said, I will respond to any that haven't been answered or haven't been turned irrelevant with this chapter.

Also I have one more question to anyone whom decides to answer it. It is about fanon Naruto and gravity seals. Do gravity seals actually make the person heavier? Or do they just make them feel heavier? For example if I put a gravity seal on a rock, and toss it across a training ground. Then in mid air, turn the gravity on the rock up to 50 times gravity. Upon impact, will the rock create a huge crater? Or will the rock just be impossible to lift?

If someone can answer this, it will be greatly appreciated, and I can show you a really really cool battle strategy that even a basic shinobi could use if the seal works in the way I think it does.


	5. The Irony of Overconfidence

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Mei had gone back up to the Kage box now after small congratulations and a kiss on the cheek, leaving a severely flustered Naruto behind. Naruto had since been getting teased by Shikamaru about how big of an idiot he was for not realizing he was being trained by the Mizukage. However Naruto doubted the lazy boy even knew that she was the Mizukage until she appeared dressed like that.

Much to his displeasure even Temari of the Sand continued to talk quite loudly about the idiot whom didn't know he was being trained by the Mizukage. Then going on to saying that he merely beat Neji with luck, and played the boy's over confidence. Perhaps it was psychological warfare... but it was working.

However the deepest blow he received was from Shino whom simply stated, "As expected from Uzumaki Naruto."

The comment made him scowl. Shino was often calm, quite, and reserved. However when he did speak it was usually directly in regards to the situation at hand. The open ended comment that could very well be an insult made Naruto grit his teeth. However instead of getting even more flustered then he already was with Mei's earlier teasing of his shell shocked form.

The matches that had happened since Naruto's were well... annoying to say the least. That was because Kankuro was here standing in the contestant box, yet he forfeited before he even made his way onto the floor.

Shikamaru and Temari both had a rather intellectually pleasing match that ended in a clear win for Shikamaru at which point where he gave up. Although he couldn't complain, Mei had taught him to win this tournament and that was why he was so excited to be fighting once again, even if it was against this Gaara character.

Naruto stood across from the red headed shinobi with a grin on his face, '_I have just the plan to deal with him.'_ he thought with calmly as he went over the rather basic but effective battle strategy the both he and Mei were able to cook up when Naruto revealed to her the boy's abilities.

The proctor looked up to the Kage box wondering if they really wanted to go through with this fight. Originally many people had wanted to see Sasuke fight Gaara, and it was one of the reason's the boy's match was delayed in the first place. Yet... then again... the crowd did seem rather pumped at the prospect of the "Underdogs" one sided victory over Neji. It showed that even one perceived by others as an idiot could still achieve greatness with hard work. If the proctor was honest with himself, he would of compared the fight to that of Jiraiya vs Orochimaru. The idiot trumping the genius through hard work. He was quite interested now in seeing the hard working boy whom beat the genius go up against the seemingly unbeatable.

Although it all came down to the tw-, no three Kages in the Kage box.

"I am sorry Kazekage but I will not extend Uchiha Sasuke's time any further. Especially when he is already hours late and the Mizukage is wanting to witness Naruto face Gaara. On top of the fact that I can't force Temari to go battle against Aburame Shino after having just battled. It is already unfair that I am even requesting Naruto to face your genin, whom still hasn't fought yet."

"Well Hokage, I would agree if it weren't for the fact that many of the officials of several different countries have come to witness The Last Uchiha face off against Suna's Gaara. Perhaps we can give the Uchiha a fifteen minute grace period?" the Kazekage said calmly.

The Mizukage decided to comment on the situation with a warm smile, "Well as I am sure it has been discussed by you already while I was gone. Any shinobi that is going to arrive late for the exam doesn't deserve to become a chunin anyways. However if the crowd really wants to see the battle between those two genin, then by all means offer them a chance to fight after the tournament. I however am here to witness Uzumaki win this tournament all together, and am not going to sit through blatant favoritism to a failure of a shinobi."

The Mizukage's harsh words gained her a look from both the Hokage and the Kazekage. "Are you insulting my shinobi forces Mizukage?" Sarutobi said calmly, yet the intensity in his stare was that of a old war expert.

The Mizukage to her credit was unaffected by the stare and said, "No I am not insulting your shinobi forces Hokage. I am merely insulting two of your shinobi that are not only wasting my time, but they are wasting everyone else's time. Their tardiness without disciplinary action being taken is only setting an example to all of the people in the stadium that you are unwilling to punish those that break the rules. However not only that, but reward them, by giving them the honor to participate in the exams despite their tardiness and forcing everyone to wait for them." Mei could have gone on with her statement. Yet the softening of the Hokage's eyes as her statement continued caused her to stop.

Sarutobi sighed, "My apologies Kazekage." he said before standing up and giving the proctor the go ahead to start the match between Naruto and Gaara.

"Hajime!"

It was a sound that rang calmly through the ears of the two boys on the field. Sand launched out of Gaara's gourd and began to float in the air around the boy. Naruto knew this was a fight that he would need to be significantly more cautious with, seeing as how the boy could very well be just a cold blooded killer. As such with such a dangerous opponent, Naruto was this time around quick to start.

_"Remember Naruto... your opponent uses sand as his primary attacking force. He likely channels chakra through the sand to make it move to his will. However like your ability to pull water out of the air, this sand manipulation must require a vast amount of chakra to keep up. The faster he has to force the sand to move, the more chakra he uses. Now imagine if the boy had to constantly move the sand in order to keep it dry?"_ Mei's voice echoed in Naruto's head.

_"Why would he have to keep the sand dry?" Naruto remembered his question vividly and he could remember her simple response._

"Because he has to."

Naruto had a good twenty water clones come out in rapid succession and having them charge at the sand encased Suna shinobi. The red head made no effort to move and merely brought up his standard shield of sand, with a relatively bored expression on his face. The boy would regret not taking Naruto seriously, Naruto was going to make sure of that.

Typically Naruto would call someone on their overconfidence, and say that he would make them regret it... but honestly? Why warn them? If they were dumb enough to not question their own mortality, and rely on the presumed invulnerability. Then he would gladly tear them to pieces.

The clones circled Gaara and jumped at him from all sides, at which Gaara simply made a clone of sand out of the sand already floating outside of the gourd. The sand clone then proceeded to send a single whip of sand around in a circle forcing all of the water clones to turn back to water. The sand in true ultimate defense form blocked every single drop of water that could of landed on the boy.

This however did in fact tell Naruto something that he wasn't completely sure of before despite the boy's fight with Lee. The sand was a fully automatic defense. Why else would Gaara feel necessary to catch literally every drop of water in the sand?

Naruto summoned his water sword as well as a relatively large group of water foxes. There were at least a good thirty or forty of them. Although many of the people in the crowd wanted to slap their hands against their foreheads at the display. After the previous display with water clones, it seemed almost idiotic to try a different tactic with a bunch of smaller version of water clones.

The foxes ran in first, followed by Naruto whom was going through a short selection of hand seals as he glided across the water's surface at impressive speeds. The foxes all charged, some even rising out of the water behind the red head. Yet they were no match for his ultimate defense. The foxes would leap and try to get the boy with a vicious bite, only to be forced into water and be soaked up by the sand.

Naruto appeared in front of the clone with his blade drawn, slashing repeatedly at the sand clone of Gaara. This action however got many questioning glances of that of everyone in the crowd.

"What the hell is Naruto doing?" Ino drawled as she supported her head with one arm in a bored fashion. They had all since moved up to the railing since it was one of the rookie genin fighting the most dangerous opponent in the exams.

"It does seem pretty useless, doesn't it?" Sakura asked with the slightest tick mark growing, for a moment forgetting all about Sasuke not being at the exams yet.

"Duh forehead, his sword keeps breaking every time it hits the sand. What is he going to do, hope the Gaara kid freezes to death from being wet?"

Naruto while remaining in front slashing at the clone constantly, the blade dispersing every time it made contact, splashing water onto the clone. Every now and then however Gaara would send an actual attack at made of sand, which he would actually deflect and oddly enough the sword would hold.

To Gaara this only meant one thing. He narrowed his eyes at the thought 'The boy is doing this on purpose...'

The chest of the sand clone exploded outward, moving considerably more slow then what people had seen it move during the preliminary rounds.

Realization hit Gaara and he suppressed a scowl. His mother may be whispering in his head telling him to kill the blonde boy, but he knew a disadvantage when he saw one. The water had saturated the sand, and made it heavier without Gaara noticing since he wasn't actively moving it around. The sand was moving slower due to all of the water in it.

Gaara toyed with the idea of dispersing his sand, and forcing all of the water out of it. Yet he couldn't help but feel that was what Uzumaki Naruto wanted. He wanted him to force the water out of the sand by dispersing it, and the action would then leave him open to attack with minimal amounts of dry sand to defend himself with. 'If only I coul-'

Gaara was forced to stop his train of thought as he didn't notice four tinny spiraling pools of water form around him during Naruto's frontal assault. The giant spiraling fangs came quickly out of the water and started grinding into Gaara's sand like a drill from all sides but the front.

Gaara grit his teeth at his current predicament. 'No matter.' he thought dryly. 'Mother will have your blood eventually.'

Gaara formed a halo of a sand cloud around his person and began moving forward, out of the oncoming barrage of water. This action mildly surprised the sand siblings in the contestants box. Gaara hadn't even really needed to move during a battle, but just because their brother was walking wasn't anything to get excited over. However it was noteworthy.

Naruto inwardly grinned at the sight of Gaara taking steps forward to get out of the water fang bullet barrage. By the time the red head had gotten out of the barrage, his sand was literally dripping wet, and Naruto's full plan was finally realized.

_"How will we force him to keep his sand moving and dry though? Lee was super fast, and Gaara didn't even need to move in order to stop him." Naruto remembered his question._

"If he doesn't keep it moving Naruto, he will lose his sand."

Naruto charged forward with his water sword that was once again the length of an absurdly large ten foot Katana. He had pumped enough chakra in there in order for it to stay in tact for a good ten seconds after it had been thrown. However in Naruto's case, he would probably only need three.

One

Gaara's sand shield loyally came up to block, and catch the water sword Naruto had thrown.

Two

Naruto jumped up towards Gaara making two hand seals before extending his hand.

Three

Lightning shot out in several streams of Naruto's hand and fingers.

Lightning coursed through the water sword that was sticking out of the dripping wet sand that was floating off the ground. From the entry point where the lightning struck the Sand flash heated far past it's melting point.

_"Remember Naruto the main mineral in desert sand, has a melting temperature of 4,200 degrees Farenheit(AN:2300 C). I had you learn that basic lightning jutsu for a reason. After all... typical lightning is around the temperature of 52000 degrees (AN For people not in America:around 30000 C... I think...)"_

The sand literally turned impossible to control, between whatever substance the sand had turned into, Naruto knew the sand man could no longer use it. Whether it became liquid glass that would instantly harden upon hitting the water, or if it was solid glass and was already prepared to fall to the depths of the man made lake. It didn't mean much to Naruto. It just meant that the red head no longer had anything that he could attack with.

Naruto stood across from the red head and they stared at each other in silence. The crowd too despite the impressing, and quite surprising outcome of the situation had turned silent. Two boy's stood across from each other, and yet one had effectively lost. At least that was what everyone thought.

Naruto waited momentarily, hoping the boy would give up. Yet upon his opponent slipping into a relatively sloppy fighting stance that appeared to be that which one would practice in the academy, he realized that the boy was not going to give up. Naruto gathered another water sword out of virtually thin air, with the slightest bits of the blade being made from the watery surface below his feet. Naruto calmly walked forward, no longer intent on having his sword dissipate when coming in contact with the boy's sand shield, seeing as how he had no more to worry about. He could now just chop the boy up as he uses that pathetic excuse for a taijutsu stance.

Naruto Ran at the boy, intent on cleaving the boy in half seeing as how he wasn't ready to give up. Naruto jumped at the last several feet and swung down hard on the boy's arm... only for the blade to stop.

That was when he heard it, "Run Naruto-kun! He still had the sand that encases his body!" was the cry of oddly enough, Lee from Gai's team.

Time seemed to slow for everyone in the stadium, because by the time Naruto had heard Lee's yell it was too late. Sand had gathered and protruded a spike directly from his chest that pierced right through Naruto's stomach and hefted him off the ground.

Naruto despite his grim situation couldn't help but grin at the irony of the final moments of the battle. He told himself he was going to tear Gaara apart for being overconfident. Then here he is quite possibly about to be destroyed due to his own over confidence.

Naruto looked down upon the red head, whose face now held a crazed expression, and he bit back a scowl. He was fully intent with wiping that expression off the boy's face by the end of the match. So he clasped his hands together in a single abbreviated seal, and uttered three words.

"Water Dragon Jutsu."

A giant water dragon burst forth from the water, diving right into Gaara. Naruto was forced to take some collateral damage due to the sheer size of the dragon. However the damage dealt to Naruto was far less than that which was dealt to Gaara seeing as how he was hoisted several feet above the boy. Not to mention the fact that his body was actually used to taking physical punishment and recovering quickly. As Gaara was swept away by the Dragon, the clean but sharp spike was removed from Naruto's stomach. He could feel the wound stitching up on the spot. One of the few times he was thankful for the fox. It gave him the opportunity to not be punished so severely when mistakes were made.

Needless to say when the water dragon whom seemingly had a mind of it's own was done punishing Gaara. The proctor didn't know whom to call the winner. The red headed boy who was staring blankly, yet breathing and awake, at the sun? Or the water user that was kneeling in the corner clutching his stomach?

"I guess I shall call this match a t-"

The proctor, Genma, was cut off by Naruto quickly yelling, "No! I can fight." he said as he stood up on shaken legs clutching his stomach. He took a deep breath of air before spitting out a glob of blood and repeated what Mei had told him in his head.

_"You should be proud to be a jinchuriki Naruto-kun. More importantly the Kyuubi jinchuriki. You have the potential to become the greatest shinobi the world has seen in the past few hundred years. Your abilities related to Kyuubi are nothing to be ashamed of."_

He took his hand off of his now sealing wound. "I will kill him however if the match isn't called in my favor." Naruto said with as calm a tone as possible. Despite himself healing, he still wanted to at least be able to sit down and rest while he recovered.

Genma chewed on his senbon for a few moments studying the red head whom laid in the water. He was beginning to appear less and less aware of his surroundings as time went on. Soon enough Genma, with quite the smirk relented.

"Alright then. It appears this match goes to Uzumaki Naruto of the Leaf!" He yelled out at which point the majority of the stadium cheered. Save the few that came from Suna whom merely sat there rather disgruntled, likely because the lost a bet saying that Gaara would win all of his matches. They didn't take into account that there could have been more than one person that was obvious competition for Gaara.

A majority of the jounins and chunins however were noticing a pattern in Naruto's performances in the fights he has had in the chunin exams. Each one thus far had been rather well planned given the circumstances. Keeping a Hyuuga inside a theorized "Dead Zone" which consisted of keeping a Hyuuga around six to nine feet away from you at all times. Too close to attempt to use any of their few long ranged attacks, or their heavenly spin. Yet too far for them to get any decent strikes on the opponent.

Or with the most recent match. Playing his opponent's over confidence. The boy acted as if he was immortal and that no one in the exams could oppose him, even when Naruto was his opponent. His cockiness lead to his demise. Utilizing actual chemistry and science coupled with a rather effective strategy to beat an opponent. Uzumaki Naruto may have yet to show the team work that the Hokage looked for in chunins. However the boy had certainly shown his ability to plan and analyze situations and prepare. His idea of changing the battle field to best suit him was an old mentality, one that became personified in the shinobi wars by The Salamander Hanzo. The man had turned his entire village into a battlefield that directly supported his strategic needs. He could oppose any and every threat, even Konoha's Legendary Sannin all at once.

The thought of a genin pulling tactics like that out of a hat... well needless to say many were impressed, even if they weren't showing it.

After Naruto had been declared the winner of the match, he fell once again to a kneel as he grit his teeth. He could only thank Kami that Mei had decided to materialize right in front of him with a water shunshin and assist him in standing. She walked with him several paces, both of them giving a nod to a surprised Genma as they walked past. He promptly gave Naruto a light pat on the shoulder at which point Naruto would of gave a cheesy grin at the acknowledgment, and run around yelling about it... if even the mere thought of the action didn't hurt the boy's stomach.

A loud rustling was heard behind them as Naruto limped his way off of the stadium... lake. Naruto wanted to know what type of joke Kami was trying to pull with having Sasuke arrive just as Naruto was the most injured he had been the entire day. The concept would probably swell his rival's ego, a thought that only made Naruto scowl.

"Naruto!" he heard his sensei call in surprise as he looked around the stadium, and took in his student's appearance. Naruto grit his teeth and turned around. There were few people he could say he honestly held a heavy dislike for, and this man was one of them. The only bright thing that came to mind was the prospect that Kakashi's betrayal against him lead him to find Mei whom happened to be a far better sensei than he could have ever hoped for. His success thus far only proved that.

Kakashi's single visible eye widened momentarily as he took in Naruto's battered appearance, and more specifically, the hole in his gut. "Yeah?" Naruto replied with one eye open as he shifted the hand covering his stomach.

Kakashi didn't know what to say at Naruto's current state of injury... the current state of injury reminded him of someone else he failed, "Erm... how did your match go?" he asked giving a weak eye smile as he did his best to look past the grim situation.

Naruto growled to himself, and felt like lashing out at the man, but didn't by merely walking over to Gaara's fallen form. "I handled them." He said calmly as he stepped of Gaara and looking around. It appeared that his siblings didn't exactly feel comfortable with the prospect of touching the boy and carrying him back up to the contestants box.

Luckily, at least in Naruto's opinion, Kakashi's attention had shifted. When he saw Gaara's fallen form, he instantly knew what had happened. "I knew we had a flashy entry... but is Sasuke disqualified?"

Genma sighed, "Your tardiness is contagious eh Kakashi? However I'm afraid so. Sasuke was disqualified which forced Naruto to face whom would of been Sasuke's opponent. The Hokage has agreed that if when all of the matches are finally finished, if Sasuke wishes to challenge someone, most likely Gaara of the Desert then they will be allowed to do so. Although..." Genma began as he looked over to Gaara's fallen form, "With Naruto eliminating the boy's sand, and then hitting him with a water dragon full force, I am pretty sure he will be out of it for awhile."

The information that was just passed on to Kakashi made his eyes widen. A water dragon? Eliminating the boy's sand? He looked over to Naruto with new found surprise and suddenly got the opportunity to take in just whom was crouched down next to the boy. At first glance it was just a young beautiful auburn haired woman dressed in blue. However when his eyes glanced to the hat in her hand, he suddenly realized just whom Naruto must have gotten to train him when he had taken Sasuke for the month.

Naruto knelt down next to Gaara with Mei at his side and said, "I am going to carry him up to his team."

Mei raised an eyebrow at the action, she wasn't particularly against it. It just really wasn't one of the things she was hoping for the boy to develop a habit of. "You do know shinobi typically never show mercy?" she asked calmly.

Naruto sighed and gave a shrug of his shoulders, "Not everyone was raised in the Bloody Mist like you and Zabuza."

Mei couldn't help but flinch at Naruto's comment, but choose not to take the conversation any further. There was more then enough time to talk about things when the boy didn't have a gaping wound in his stomach and insisting that he carry another boy up several flights of stairs. Naruto hefted the immobile Gaara onto his shoulder and proceeded up the stairs.

Mei moved to take the boy out of Naruto's arms, but Naruto quickly shrugged her off and told her he had the boy.

This act of kindness didn't go unnoticed by many of the Suna shinobi that resided in the stadium. Most of them felt a sudden pang of guilt at the thought that all of them were too scared to go assist one of their own that they literally had to have their enemy assist the boy.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, with Mei at his side. Naruto gave a heavy sigh as the wound was now visibly starting to stitch up the muscles the sand spear has damaged. He hefted Gaara off of his shoulders and carried him bridal style over to his sister before passing the boy off to her, whom was slightly reluctant to take him. Temari regardless nodded her thanks for bringing her Gaara, but on the inside her mind was stuck on something else. The signal wasn't given during Naruto's battle with Gaara, and now Gaara was in no fighting condition at all. Was there even going to be a signal given now?

Naruto and Mei walked along the ring of the stadium at a slow pace. He had since draped his arm over Mei's shoulder, whom was currently bent down a bit to adjust to the boy's height. Mei however did have several thoughts on her mind as she walked along the stadium with Naruto. He had formerly been ostracized by everyone. Yet now with his success, there were countless people coming up to them as they made their way around the arena.

However the congratulations he was receiving wasn't the attention that bothered the woman. It was the more disturbing proposals of the older girls, and some grown women coming up to the boy and blatantly offering themselves up to Naruto. Now the typical guy, this wouldn't really be a problem. They would either use the woman and leave them, or just not use them at all. They would never stick around with a woman that would throw themselves at someone.

Yet Naruto was a special case. With never having such attention before, Mei knew that Naruto may very well cling to the attention he was currently receiving, and that of course annoyed her to no end. She wished that the boy could be slightly normal at least on the personality and emotional spectrum. _'Oh well, no matter.'_ she thought to herself silently as she shifted positions with Naruto so that instead of he being the one walking next to the fans, it was her.

If women were going to be throwing their affection at Naruto, she could just play that game too. After all, she only knew one person more manipulative then her, and she learned from the best.

"Naruto..." She said slowly as she gently pressed him closer to her. "These girls are awfully cute, do you think any of them may become your girlfriend?" She said as she gestured to several of the civilian girls in the stands getting a bit red in the face as they spot Naruto.

Mei resisted an urge to scowl as she thought over what she knew about attraction psychology. It was depressing. There were a few things that turned women on at a subconscious level, that most men didn't even know about. It was honestly a check list that went back to when humans were just a bunch of chakraless monkeys walking around with weapons made of rocks and sticks.

The funny thing in her opinion was how generic the indicators were. To be able to defend your loved ones. To be pre-selected by woman? To be a leader of men? To be emotionally wired correctly? The simplest of indicators that lead a male to be perceived above all of the other men in the surrounding.

Naruto's fight showed all of the women that he was capable of defending people he cared about, that he had to of been a leader with how easily he dominated his opponents. It only took a few women around the stadium to say that the boy was cute and be interested in him before sure enough everyone was.

Mei knew it didn't help that she had her arm around the boy. That likely set off many females in the arena. Yet alas, she wasn't trying to give herself a psychology lesson on alpha male characteristics. She already knew that the human body has base instincts similar to that of a dog.

The problem was that Naruto currently represented an alpha male, and she needed to crush any pathetic girl that could come up and give Naruto a reason to stay in the village.

"Oh I don't know I mean they are pretty but I sor-" Naruto began with a frown on his face but was cut off by Mei.

"But what about me Naruto-kun? Am I not good enough for you?" She said with the slightest pout and loosened her close contact with Naruto.

She knew by how the boy instantly tensed at the lack of contact, he would be quick to try and redeem himself, "No no! Hey..." He said waving one arm a bit too frantically for his injury. "That isn't it I just didn't think you... erm..." he couldn't find the right words to say to the woman beside him which only caused her to smile in amusement.

She knelt down next to Naruto whom was resting his arm on the railing. "How about this Naruto. If you win this tournament, we can have a date?" she said as she looked over his wound carefully to make sure that he would indeed be alright to fight in the tournament.

Naruto like the typical teenager that had been asked by a beautiful woman to go on a date tried to make sense of the situation quickly in his head, and his face contorting in mild confusion only served to amuse Mei even further. Perhaps if he were a bit older... she wouldn't be doing this solely for her own needs.

"Great, then it is settled, its a date." she said quickly not giving the boy time to rationalize as to why he shouldn't go on a date with her.

Naruto blushed heavily and quickly said, "Wait but you don't think Your... err.. I'm too young for you?"

Mei raised an eyebrow at the statement and was slightly impressed with the boy's quick choice of words. Instead of him asking if she thought she was too old for him, it was if she thought he was too young for her. Realistically the same question, just worded in a way that would prevent the boy from getting outright slapped.

'_At least I have been teaching him things outside of basic ninjutsu._' She thought to herself with a weak smile as she stood up.

"Naruto-kun... age for a shinobi is nothing but a number." she said as she knelt down and kissed the boy on the forehead.

Naruto blushed, and looked up towards Mei after the kiss. However she was busy scanning the surrounding area for something he could not place.

Of course Mei on the other hand was inwardly smiling to herself. The looks on all of the women in the surrounding area made her heart melt. They had all given up any pursuit for the boy. She could only hope it would stay like that from now on. She couldn't have the boy creating reasons to stay in the village when she was so close to departure.

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**Chapter end.**

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Alright I'll be honest. I never expected to get like 72 reviews in the first day lol. It had been taking an average of 3 days to get sixty reviews. So this chapter is out a bit earlier then expected. The last scene of the chapter was added on mainly because I felt Mei really wasn't getting developed that much, and this chapter was slightly short.

Don't worry this wont turn into a "Wank fest" as a review said much to my amusement. Just because Mei is getting closer to Naruto does not mean that they are going to live happily ever after. I actually tried to stress her intentions heavily to avoid any crap.

The psychological alpha male stuff is actually applied in real life. A woman will be subconsciously more attracted to a male that displays those key features, even if he isn't the best looking guy around. I imagine most of you guys did not know this. Those who did, kudos to you. Attraction psychology is fun.

Holy crap with all of the gravity seal feedback. Never expected nearly every single review to have information on them. However to prep myself so you guys don't feel this story will turn uber fail. The gravity seals were never intended for training, and honestly I don't know if I will even use it in the story. I could use it in the next chapter of Consequences of an Honest Enemy for a rather sweet ass kicking.

I believe you all now realize the make ups for the fights from now on. There was a comment about water needing to be ionized if review of last chapter... but oh well... I am not a genius, I merely know the basics of what I want to have happen. If you are a scientist, try not to read too much into the elements of battle in the story. (For example the melting temperature of Quartz).

Finally... I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Loved all of the help with the gravity seal.

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A note for the next chapter. Ohhh shit... I can already hear ranting and people wanting to click the back button. So before you read on, I would like to ask everyone to please trust my ability as a writer, and have faith that I wont do anything stupid. Contrary to popular belief? I know exactly what I'm doing.

You will meet a character that is closely modeled after another character from a different series. I wont say who, and I will merely ask for you guys to have faith in me because I know what I am doing with her, and exactly how she will be used.

A question for everyone now.

Should I have Naruto learn the Rasengan and Toad summoning? I am already highly highly highly against toad summoning because well... I know what is going to happen in the story. However what about the Rasengan? I am impartial to it. I am more than willing to have another jutsu fill it's place if I intend for Naruto to go with Jiraiya to find Tsunade.(even that is up in the air.)

So tell me, Should Naruto learn the rasengan, and if not, what should he learn instead.

Holy shit long AN, sorry guys.


	6. Ghosts of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Naruto rubbed his eyes as he approached his team from a distance with Mei alongside him. He could see from where he was already that the majority of the group was fussing over Sasuke. Amongst them was Gai, and Lee whom Naruto could only presume that they arrived later in the day because he hadn't seen him earlier when he was fighting Neji. He had only heard Lee briefly in his fight with Gaara. Then there were the people he had been seeing throughout the day which were Kurenai, Asuma, Sakura, Chouji and Ino. He was slightly surprised to see Shikamaru join the group, but figured that after he had given up, the boy likely wouldn't have wanted to hang around the blonde from Suna. Sasuke and Kakashi must have gotten to the group merely moments before Naruto and Mei seeing as how they were still saying their hello's to everyone.

Especially with how things were going down on the battle field, the girl wasn't willing to give Shino an inch like she presumably did in her fight with Shikamaru. There was one thing he felt that was necessary to note though about her performance. She was sticking to the wall, and not standing on the water. It either meant she was playing a tactical move that would conserve more chakra, and he knew that it wasn't that far of a stretch considering her match with Shikamaru. Or... she didn't know water walking, which also wasn't that hard to imagine given the fact that there wasn't many places to train water walking out in a desert. He was sure about one thing though, the girl must have impressive chakra control water walking or not because of the way she was able to manipulate the winds from her fan.

The fight down on the chunin exam... lake... was one sided to say the least. A lot of fights had been one sided in these exams, particularly Naruto's fight against Neji. However this one took the cake of one sided fights. Despite Shino's calm exterior, the bug user must have been annoyed. There was no way for him to combat against the wind mistress with his typical methods of attacking. The bugs would come out and try to crawl on the walls, or fly towards her with no real point. The bugs would instantly get blasted away by a large gust of wind, and he had a feeling that the girl was merely stalling and waiting for an opportune moment to really strike.

Naruto sighed and could thank heaven that both Ino and Sakura had stood up and gone to greet Sasuke. This gave Naruto the opportunity to just crash down into the chairs they vacated, thoroughly surprising Chouji and Shikamaru whom sat on the ground a foot or so next to his friend. Mei had promptly sat down next to Naruto in the free seat, but her presence alone was quick to draw attention of everyone near by in the stands

_Is that the Mizukage?_

_Who is that beauty?_

_Do you think she is taken?_

_Does anyone know her name?_

The whispers began to give Naruto a headache as he leaned back in his chair and said, "You are distractingly beautiful Mei..." he was too tired to even add on any suffix to her name and just focused on breathing in and out waiting for the pain in his gut to subside. After the long walk around the stadium he wasn't in the mood for doing much. Despite it being nearly fully stitched up, it still hurt like hell. Which was why he was surprised, but also immensely happy that Mei had moved her hands over his stomach and began to heal and massage the wound with medical chakra. Of course he would never let her see that he was immensely happy, "Thanks Mei." He said as he leaned back in his chair.

Mei looked slightly amused at the boy's relaxed form and pinched his leg causing him to jump, "You still have one more match to go before you can relax Naruto. Get your head in the game and think of a plan to beat the girl from Suna, since it is obvious that she is going to win this match."

The woman's tone of speaking instantly gathered the attention of the other people in the area, but particularly the jounin and Naruto's team.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled with more excitement then she had ever shown her blonde teammate in her life. She ran up to him from where she was standing moments ago talking to Sasuke and gave the boy a hug. This action only cause him to his in pain.

"Sakura... my stomach..." Naruto said through gritted teeth and one eye open. The pink haired girl looked down to what Naruto was talking about and upon regular circumstances likely would of thrown up. However as Mei moved her hands momentarily to give the girl the view of his stomach, she was utterly surprised to see little strings of muscle tissue seemingly moving like worms and connecting to other strings before sealing up. She had only caught the last few moments of the closing of the wound as fresh skin began to make it's presence known and finish the closing of Naruto's stomach. The result was perfect skin and abs once again without even so much as a scar.

A good seven yards away Kakashi was speaking to Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma. "Just who is this woman, and how did Naruto find her?"

Gai hit his fist into his palm as if he was thinking, "Well my eternal rival, it appears that this woman is the Mizukage." This statement naturally caused the gathered shinobi to sweat drop. Even the civilians could realize that she was the Mizukage. Thankfully before Kakashi could bring up a rather insulting retort to Gai's attempt at being helpful, Kurenai cut in.

"We don't know, she had been seen several times by our teams walking around the village with Naruto. However when she was walking around the village she was just dressed in blue rags. We didn't think anything of it other then someone was just showing the boy kindness. I don't know about you but I wasn't going to approach the two of them and be the potential reason for the woman suddenly leaving and no longer spending time with Uzumaki." Kurenai said as she sized up the woman before them who had since stopped working on Naruto's wound. She didn't seem bad, all of the genin had gathered around Naruto now, even Sasuke whom stood at the back of the group. She could only imagine the boy was rather annoyed that Kakashi's chronic tardiness forced him to be disqualified. The girls in particular were asking repeated questions about her and her relation to Naruto, which the woman was doing a good job of smiling and politely answering the questions that the frantic girls bombarded her with.

"If you are so interested Kakashi, perhaps you should just go over there and ask her. That is what my students are doing." Asuma said with a grin as he blew some smoke out his nose from his cigarette.

Kakashi looked at Naruto's exhausted form and kept seeing his previously heavily injured form he had seen on the chunin exam floor. He slowly and quietly made his way up, followed by the remaining jounin as he positioned himself behind the students. "What happened Naruto?" He asked weakly as he stared at his exhausted student's form.

Naruto looked up to his teacher by law standing behind, and towering over the majority of his friends by a good foot. Naruto frowned at the question and was about to respond... that was until Mei decided to rub salt on his wounds.

"Naruto was in his battle with Gaara, carrying out the match as planned and after he had eliminated the red head's sand by turning it into glass, he foolishly forgot about the armor of sand that covers the boy's body. If it wasn't for Naruto's innate healing ability that through sheer luck he has, he would be dead right now. It is a miracle that Naruto could stand long enough to get the match called in his favor. Naruto, do you have anything to add to my analysis of your situation?" her tone was cold and harsh, a great contrast between how she had acted mere moments ago. Although Naruto wasn't going to defend himself, she was likely worried about him, after all she was right... if he was any other person he would be dead right now.

"What she said." Naruto said dryly as he leaned forward and adjusted the gauntlet on his arm and looked down to the arena floor. Temari had just won her match by adding a significant amount of power behind a particular gust of wind that sent Shino barreling against the wall, and he chose to forfeit. The proctor announced that before the finals they would be taking a ten to fifteen minute break so the contestants, particularly Temari considering she just had a match, had the chance to recover.

Kakashi continued to stare at Naruto which was beginning to make the boy uneasy. The area around the group was becoming tenser by the second, and Naruto just decided to break the tension by turning to Sasuke. "I knew you were too afraid to fight me." he proclaimed with a cheeky grin that instantly melted the tension and had everyone around feeling amusement as Sasuke bristled at the comment.

"No Naruto, merely too afraid to be seen with you wearing your current outfit." Sasuke said with a weak grin. The action surprised several in the area, not sure what to make about the Uchiha's attitude. The comment sure was an insult, but the banter between the two teammates appeared to be all in good fun.

"Meh, I didn't want to pick something out that would take me hours to put on and make me arrive late to the exams. Nice strap-on." Naruto said dismissively with a wave of his hand as he gestured to the boy's belts on his arm at the end of his statement. This naturally caused a few of the more mature members of the group such as Kurenai, Asuma, and Shikamaru to give a snort of amusement. Everyone else, flushing in embarrassment or not, well they had something to say about it.

"Don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that!"

"Good one Naruto!"

"Naruto-baka that wasn't nice..."

"Remember what I told you about speaking your mind Naruto?" was the voice that went above all of the other comments, and it came from the enigmatic Mizukage.

Naruto pursed his lips and leaned back crossing his arms over his chest and stayed silent.

Kakashi gave a low whistle with an eye smile and in an attempt to brighten the situation said, "That is impressive, I wish I knew how to do that with Naruto."

The Mizukage to her credit was able to give a weak smile and bite her tongue on the subject to not blatantly insult the man before her. She had a very low tolerance with poor teaching. Perhaps that was because of their quality over quantity mentality when it came to shinobi. However that was through years of self control, Naruto on the other hand... well...

"Perhaps if you bothered to give a damn about me, I would be more respectful towards you." Naruto said in a growl as he refused to look Kakashi in the eye from where he was sitting.

And within an instant, and slightly cheerful mood Kakashi had created was gone and replaced with a sour one. The comment struck Kakashi hard like a kick in the balls, but before he could try and make a comeback or an excuse Naruto said, "You told me you went off to train Sasuke because you were going to train him to fight Gaara. Fine, regardless of the bullshit surrounding the fact that Neji was just if not more of a dangerous opponent for me then Gaara was to Sasuke, I let it slide. However here you are right in front of me acting like nothing is wrong, asking me questions as if you were asking me how the weather is? The fact of the matter is you abandoned me with no _adequate_ help for this month, and in the end your initial excuse for training Sasuke to fight Gaara? News flash Kakashi, I fought Gaara, not Sasuke. If I hadn't found Mei this month to train me this month, I would be dead, and frankly I should by all intents and purposes be dead now. So I really don't want to fucking talk to you right now."

Everyone was silent save the Mizukage whom had taken to humming while massaging the boy's currently weak abdomen. She had long since heard a couple rants from Naruto about the subject and knew that the boy was going to blow up sooner or later at his sensei. Something that she didn't mind happening. The more distant he becomes to the people in his village, the better for her in the long run.

"You failed me mister 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those whom abandon their teammates are worse then that." Naruto said with a scowl as he got up and shoved past his friends while prying away Mei's hands from his stomach. He weaved through the jounin senseis standing in front of them. He ran over to the rail before diving over it and flying straight down into the water in a dive.

Little did anyone know, the words that were said to Kakashi truly did hit home for him because it wasn't the first time he had heard them. He remembered quite well several people in his life saying something along those lines. Yet the one that really stood out in his mind for this current situation? _'Rin...' _He went back to his memories of her with a sigh. However he should consider himself lucky that he doesn't know the full story.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A young brown haired teen ran down corridor after corridor of a seemingly endless maze. There was next to no visibility in the dark underground tunnels. The walls were muddy and dry, but that didn't stop the various bugs that liked to make their nests in the walls._

_Rin, a young medic ninja, advanced far beyond her years. She was predicted to become as skilled as Tsunade by the age of twenty if she continued to excel at her current rate of growth. Her life had changed the moment the Kyuubi had come to Konoha._

_Rin was a shinobi that heavily believed in team work, and that was why it hurt so much knowing that her weakness was the reason one of her former teammates was dead. That day she learned that the life expectancy of a shinobi was not a long as many believed. This was only solidified by the fact that when she was seventeen alongside her fifteen year old teammate Hatake Kakashi, the Kyuubi attacked. The attack had forever scarred the memories of many of the villagers. They would never forget about what was lost that day. Rin had not only lost a Hokage, she lost a teacher, and a father figure when Namikaze Minato fell sealing the beast in his baby boy._

_A secret that was well kept, well except from a couple young women. Kushina wasn't native to fire country, and her well known status as the Kyuubi container had made it significantly harder for her to make friends. Whether they were intimidated by the woman's own strength and personality, or the beast that resided in her gut, Rin did not know. So naturally when it came down to both Rin and Uchiha Mikoto to look out for the young boy... well they did their best._

_That was until an assassination attempt was made on the boy by a shinobi mother. She had lost both of her parents, as well as husband and new born child during the Kyuubi attack. It was hard not to aim your anger at the beast, or more precisely what contained the beast. While irrational, Rin knew that the thought had crossed her mind before after having lost both Minato and Kushina during the attack._

_The assassin had come in through the window of the former Namikaze household. Both Uchiha Mikoto and Rin were sitting in the living room drinking tea, having just put Naruto to bed. Rin took a deep breath as she thought back to that night, 'I was naive...'_

_Both Rin and Mikoto never thought once about one trying to assassinate the boy, at least not anyone from their own village. So when Mikoto had taken a Kunai knife to the leg giving the woman a nice scar before they could finish the assassin off. The damage had already been done. Yet the damage wasn't to the boy._

_Rin knew that in her heart that she would give up her arms and legs to have both Minato and Kushina back, the two of them had grown to be her family. So after the assassination attempt, and the Hokage forcing Rin to reassign because he felt the baby needed better protection was a blow that she could never forget, not only to her pride, but to her honor. Sure she had succeeded in protecting the child, but at what costs? Uchiha Fugaku instantly after seeing his wife being injured forced her to stay home from that point on and take care of Sasuke. Naruto was no longer going to be able to grow up in his own home, and was forced to grow up in the care of the orphanage in the middle of town. Rin knew from experience that the place wasn't the place to go for a happy childhood. She could only imagine what it would be like for the Kyuubi container._

_Yet there was little she could do. Konoha had laws, and these laws were put in place for a reason. One of these were the adoption laws put in place. In order to adopt, the potential parent must by of the minimum age of eighteen. In other words, they must be considered an adult by civilian standards. This was mainly put in place so some twelve year old genin couldn't get the foolish idea to adopt an orphan child, and then later on both of them are found on the streets. However Rin knew that Naruto wasn't just an every day case._

_The person that would be intending to adopt Naruto would have to be able to defend themselves, and him, well. This was something that she had already failed to do in the eyes of the Hokage. So, for now she was 0 for 2. So she decided to train... a lot._

_Now Rin before the Kyuubi attack, and before Naruto had came into her life was merely the average shinobi, but more importantly she was the typical orphan. She wanted to do something in her life, and she wanted to fit in somewhere. She even remembered a time back when they still had Obito she was hanging around Inuzuka Tsume and painting her cheeks with purple squares. She joined the shinobi career for acknowledgment._ _She gave herself a task that was believed to be impossible to achieve, and set out to achieve it by the end of her life time. To become a medic greater then Tsunade of the Sannin._

_One thing was altered from her initial dream, and her dream of today, and it was very simple. Achieve her goal by the time Naruto turned four. Was it impossible? Some would say most definitely. However Rin was a firm believer that nothing was impossible with the right motivation. One merely needed someone to be motivated for, someone to live for._

_So she became absorbed. Not just in books, but in training. She had taken a temporary leave from her shinobi career to specifically train. Day in day out, she was like a machine. Any mediocre social life she had formerly was destroyed and replaced with books ranging from anatomy to molecular structure and even to books on evolution. People began to fear that the girl was going to be the second coming of Orochimaru with the rate she was going. Yet they let her slide as she repeatedly began curing and healing shinobi with conditions believed to be untreatable. From poisons to vicious lacerations, she could fix it._

_That was when the investigation started. She had been hearing whispers here and there about a mission assignment that was going to be assigned by the Hokage. Although most of the jounins in the village, including her despite her inactive status, were privileged with hearing the Hokage's mission. It was assaulting a base, but not just any base, Orochimaru's base. Many of the shinobi in the room were reluctant to even bother wanting to go, at least until the Hokage revealed the full scheme of things. She could still vividly remember what he said, and it made her blood boil._

_"About a year ago, the Kyuubi attacked us and as I am sure you know, we lost many lives that day including the life of our beloved Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Now I am telling you this with good conscience that you wont go blabbing your mouth the moment you leave this meeting room. However we have reason to believe that the Kyuubi did not irrationally attack us and in fact we believe that none other than Orochimaru, my former student has." needless to say people burst out in murmurs after that comment. Yet the Hokage continued. "I know this may come as quite a surprise, however when Minato had taken to sealing the great beast, as he died he told me someone had initially taken control of the Kyuubi. However he died before he was able to tell me who. Me and several members on the council believe that Orochimaru has more then likely developed a way to control the beast similar to the control he can exert over young Mitarashi Anko through her Cursed Seal. Normally I would request that you take hostages under these circumstances, but I know my former student, and I know that he is far too strong to attempt to detain alive. So, this is strictly an assassination. Due to the risks of this mission, I will merely ask for volunteers and hope you will prove to me you have the Will of Fire and step up to the challenge I have proposed for you all."_

_Rin was the first to volunteer for the team, which was followed by her teammate Hatake Kakashi. Whether it was because of revenge, or an old promise to always protect her that he had given to their former teammate she did not know... but... her long time crush on her teammate told her to believe it was the later seeing as how it was rather cute._

_But the mission that was assigned now takes us back to Rin's current situation. She ran down a dark tunnel, jumping up quickly to cut a support beam with a chakra scalpel causing rocks to cave in where she was standing six seconds ago... a hundred yards away. She cut down a hallway, already having the place memorized in her head by heart seeing as how she practiced for weeks at memorizing the tunnels. She kicked open a door in the hallway, quickly waving the chakra scalpel in front of her face in the dark room which served to chop the striking cobra's head clean off. She shot out the smallest of katon jutsus without the use of hand seals, lighting up the room and effectively telling her there are no more threats in the immediate vicinity._

_She closed the door quickly and flashed a few hand seals before raising up a waist high heavy stone block out of the ground blocking the door. She sat down against the block pressing her hand to her ear and said into a headset._

_"This is Rin and there is a horde of "subjects" chasing me down corridor X-five, I have held myself up in room and reinforced the door, but I am in need of immediate assistance."_

_And this was the first time she tasted it, and she suddenly realized why the "Oh so noble Orochimaru" had fallen. Betrayal._

_"Coming Ri-" she heard Kakashi yell over the intercom, or at least try to before a vicious crack came from his end of the microphone._

_"Belay that, Rin, you are going to need to find your own way out of the compound. We will be waiting at Red Heaven for approximately one hour before we will be returning to the village. This mission is a failure." came the voice of a shinobi over the microphone whom was heavily suspected with being associated with Danzo's Root program._

_"What!" She yelled, "You ar-" she could only hear static signaling that the radio connection between the two had since been cut off. The sound of hammering and scratching on the door behind her now was the only thing that filled her ears._

_Yes, she understood completely why Orochimaru had left Konoha. He wasn't the betrayer, he was the betrayed._

_A hulking purple skinned dog with two humanoid arms growing out of it's back burst through wooden door and stood on top of the block of stone Rin had raised._

_Rin sighed and released the chakra scalpel. She let them take her._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
_

Kakashi was brought back to reality through the sound of collected gasp amongst the stadium and cheering. Naruto stood on the stadium wall, a good thirty feet above the water grasped onto Temari. Nothing would be strange there if that was all of the information. The detail that made everyone gasp and cheer was Naruto filling up a water prison jutsu with water out of the air molecules.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile as Naruto was declared victor of the match. Who would have thought?

The dead last of this year dominates the chunin exam finals. Kakashi held back a grin that formed. While he didn't train the boy, and Naruto was right in his comment about him, he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride as he saw the boy flash a cheeky grin before pumping his fist into the air.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThis was initially a chapter break.**

Naruto could barely contain his grin as he stood on the arena man made lake. It was supposedly tradition for all of the Kage's to come down and personal congratulate the winner of the tournament, and more often then not present the winner with the title of chunin. So when Naruto saw the three Kages present at the exam right in front of them, two with noticeable smiles on their faces while the Kazekage's face remained hidden by a black flap in front of his mouth. It slightly annoyed Naruto the the Kazekage appeared to be more focused on looking up into the stands and presumably giving nods of acknowledgment to people that were cheering loudly in the crowd.

Mei walked up to Naruto first and pulled him into warm hug before kissing him on the cheek and whispering, "I told you that you could do this Naruto."

Mei honestly felt herself get a bit teary eyed at the boy before her whom she had come to know over the past month. It was an action that she couldn't really even rationalize herself. She told herself in the beginning that she would not get in any way shape or form actually emotionally attached to the boy. Yet over the past month of constant contact with the boy, she had to admit that the boy had seemingly wormed his way into her heart. Perhaps she wasn't as great of a manipulator as she thought... still... she was damn good.

"You owe me." Naruto said with a cheeky grin, which Mei only nodded and proceeded to get Naruto a kiss on his other cheek before stepping back. She knew while this certainly had an effect on Naruto, it had one on the rest of the stadium, just as she intended.

Naruto in the mean time was blushing up a storm. He had grown to get quite a crush on Mei over the past month, but he crushed any ideas he was getting with the fact that he should be more focused on training. Yet now with everything that has happened. Whether it be between his current goal being achieved, the bet he made with Mei earlier, and him receiving a kiss from not only a beautiful woman, but the Mizukage in front of his entire village. Well needless to say Naruto's face was even redder than blood if it was even possible.

The Hokage had spared Naruto anymore embarrassment by coming up to Naruto next, and giving the boy a short hug while sending a narrowed eyed stare to the Mizukage before presenting the boy with a scroll. Presumably the scroll contained various papers for promotion as well as a chunin vest. Naruto gave a bow as he excepted the scroll before stepping before the Kazekage with his hand outstretched.

The Kazekage gave a small snort before saying, "I'm impressed... you were able to defeat two of my children." he said calmly. At the statement, Naruto got wide eyes. He may have heard it in passing, but there was no way he remembered that Gaara and Temari were both the Kazekage's children. Naruto suddenly felt the slightest bit nervous shaking the man's hand.

The man grasped Naruto's hand with pale frail fingers that had a distinct chill to them despite the fact that it was quite a hot day, a feat that unnerved Naruto slightly. "However I have a request Uzumaki..." he said calmly as he withdrew his hand from Naruto's. "I came to this tournament to witness The Last Uchiha of Konoha do battle. Would you be up for fighting the boy now, despite your many battles today already? I believe you will if the Will of Fire courses through you veins like your Hokage likes to proclaim."

This request had instantly drawn the eyes of the other two Kages on the field, and even put Sarutobi on the defensive. He had a inkling as to just who was under that Kazekage outfit. His muscles tensed, he was more then ready to start a battle with the man on the chunin exam floor if need be.

Naruto despite being tired couldn't help but smirk slightly, sure it was a bit disappointing for the Kazekage to blatantly admit to his face that he didn't care that much about Naruto's battles. However the prospect of kicking Sasuke's ass in front of a whole bunch of people? Well that was just something Naruto wasn't willing to pass up. After all, he did want to be Hokage. He needed to show everyone he had the Will of Fire some day right?

"Alright, as long as Sasuke is fine with getting his ass kicked." Naruto said calmly resisting the urge to taunt his teammate from the arena floor already. The action made both the Mizukage and Hokage resist the urge to choke the boy. There was one thing with acting out in front of friends, and another to act out in front of a Kage.

"Naruto..." The Hokage began before the Mizukage quickly cut in.

"I believe that I will have to work with you on Manners Naruto." she said calmly with a hint of force in her voice.

The Hokage gave the woman a pointed look when she stated this, and after everything that had happened that day, he had to cut in. "Excuse me Mizukage, but I believe I know how to address my shinobi, I would like to remind you just where you happen to be." There was a lingering threat in the old Hokage's statement, and everyone picked up on it. True she may be a powerful ninja for being a Mizukage. However she was by no means, take on an entire village by herself with two bodyguards powerful.

Although it did surprise Sarutobi, and suddenly leave a bad taste in his mouth as he realized how grave the situation was when Naruto spoke up. "Hey don't talk to Mei-chan like that old man! She has been nothing but nice to me, and helped me this entire month for this exam! She is more of a sensei and friend to me than anyone in Konoha! She has just been trying to get me to behave better... thats all." he finished weakly at the end.

That statement was not something Mei was expecting the boy to yell, to his Hokage no less. She could only wonder if this was a good thing or a bad thing, because she knew the Hokage must not be taking this blatant "in your face" revelation too well.

Sarutobi took a deep breath and looked over to Naruto, "Be that as it may Naruto, remember that I am still in charge of you as a shinobi, and the Mizukage knows she overstepped her boundaries when she was essentially giving you an order and training you without my permission." before anyone could reply to his statement, he closed the subject by opening another, "Anyways someone please go gather Uchiha Sasuke, and ask if he wishes to fight." He made the statement to no one in particular around, but sure enough up in the stands not a few moments later, there was a masked shinobi standing beside Sasuke and Kakashi.

Naruto had a sour expression as he stared at the man who he had always considered to be like a grandfather to him. How could he just blatantly be rude to someone he cared about like that? He knows how hard it is for him to make friends with people! What if him being rude to Mei-sensei caused her to leave? Those were the thoughts flowing through Naruto's mind at least.

Soon enough Kakashi and Sasuke were both on the arena "floor" standing next to the proctor who had also been called back down to the arena floor.

The Kazekage seemed to get a grin across his faced... or at least that was what Naruto assumed. You never really could tell with the people that would cover half of their face. He also made some odd gesture to the group before leaving. He tilt his hat downward before rolling four of his fingers along the side of it. It wasn't completely obvious seeing as how it didn't attract the attention of Kakashi whom was currently saying a few hushed words to Sasuke. Yet it did catch the attention of the old man, whose eyes were practically glued on the Kazekage's retreating form. Mei also was seemingly on edge as she began to discreetly take several glances at different sections of the stadium stands. Needless to say, it unnerved Naruto.

But...

The proctor questioning both him and Sasuke about if they were ready quickly took his mind off the Kazekage, and put it directly on a plan he had cooked up with Mei for if he had to fight Sasuke in the exams. The main problem Naruto could see with this plan was, with just as much training as he had done over the month, it appeared Sasuke had done just as much. The prospect of a out dated battle strategy working on a boy that could virtually see everything was slim to none. Then again... Neji could see everything...

"Hajime!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Kazekage past by a single Konoha Anbu on his way up the stairs returning to the Kage box. He wasn't being followed by the two other Kages yet, and thus was why he felt no danger in stating what he wanted.

"Orochimaru-sama I saw the sig-"

"I want that seal released now." he said as he calmly walked past the Anbu whom had seemingly frozen in place at the statement.

'But... that would kill us all! Why did Sasuke's match have to be the signal for the invasion to start...' The Anbu quickly thought to himself as he spun around quickly to look at the retreating form of his true leader before vanishing himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto grinned as he stood across from Sasuke in a loose fighting stance. Sasuke had opted to draw a kunai and position it right in front of him in a crouched stance with his sharingan activated. Neither had moved for a good minute, but the crowd was still sitting on the edge of their seats. The Champion vs The Last Uchiha. It was definitely something they had not thought they would see, but many were grinning like mad at the prospect of seeing it. Not to mention the people who were rapidly running around placing bets here and there about who would win. Many of which were not in Naruto's favor seeing as how he had so many matches previously.

This for Naruto was probably the first match he hadn't jumped straight into action, and honestly... he didn't know whether it was because he was fighting his friend, or fighting his rival. "You know, fights like these go down in history books?" Naruto said with a grin on his face, one that also crept onto Sasuke's at the statement. "They always depict the perceived loser combating against some kind of genius."

Sasuke smirked and cut in, "Yet history says the genius' always wins." he said as he thought back to a history lesson on the legacy of Orochimaru and his fall.

Naruto gave a weak smile at that and spawned several water clones, "Except when there is an Uchiha involved." Naruto said calmly as he thought back to the history of Konoha, and Madara's battle with the Shodaime Hokage. Naruto didn't give Sasuke time to make a comeback to the comment as twelve water clones rushed at Sasuke from all sides.

Naruto doubted Sasuke realized it, but Naruto was merely stalling and trying to draw out any new techniques that Sasuke could have learned over the past month.

The clones all charged Sasuke at once, in pure attempt to overpower the Uchiha, but it was to no avail. The first clone to come in contact with Sasuke got his arm hooked, and flipped over the boy's back landing on two other clones. Sasuke then proceeded to deflect an oncoming fist with the Uchiha fighting style that was based strictly on counter attacking an opponent after a block. After the deflected fist, he rapidly leaned back, ducking under a kick, which he caught. He proceeded to then use the significantly lighter clone version of Naruto as a giant mace which he smashed through the remaining clones in a full circle before the single clone in his hand dissolved.

Naruto learned nothing from that brief encounter besides the fact that Sasuke was far more skilled then him in taijutsu. Naruto peered across the body of water with a scowl on his face as he looked at his sharingan using friend. He realized that if he even tried to use a technique, his teammate would just copy him and more then likely the fight would end up rather similar to Kakashi vs Zabuza. He wished he had taken that into account when both him and Mei were planning out the fights. Perhaps Mei whom helped make the majority of the strategy for this fight didn't care about her techniques being stolen. Yet Naruto knew he worked hard for his current techniques, and didn't want even his friend just coming in and stealing them. At least until he heard Mei's voice talk to him in the back of his head, and he remembered their encounters previously.

_"Naruto... I have told you about this before. So what if your friend has the sharingan? So what if he can copy every jutsu that you will ever use? It is not about the amount of techniques you have as a shinobi, it is how you utilize the techniques you have. A shinobi that knows ten thousand jutsu can be beaten by a shinobi that only knows ten jutsu, if the said shinobi uses those ten jutsu more effectively. Your Yondaime Hokage is a prime example of this." Mei said as she massaged Naruto's shoulders gently after he had gone through a significant amount of physical training to perfect this sword style._

_Naruto grit his teeth, "But it isn't fair. These techniques that I worked hard for can just be stolen by someone who decides to look at me?"_

_Mei sighed, "Naruto, it isn't like you have worked that hard for these techniques. You have something just as useful, and it can even be considered better then the Sharingan's learning capabilities. Your ability to create these shadow clones not only gives you jutsu learning capabilities that the sharingan could only wish for, but it allows you to learn more then that. For example, you can use your hundreds if not thousands of clones to develop photographic memory, perhaps one of the greatest shinobi tools to ever develop or be born with. After you learn that, you could literally walk into a library with a group of clones, and in a single day have more knowledge on... say... medical ninjutsu that even some of the world's greatest medics wish they had." Mei took a breath and stopped rubbing Naruto's shoulders for a minute to run a hand through her long hair, "You need to stop looking at what other people have, and start being thankful for the one of a kind gifts that you do have. So what if someone can copy your techniques in an instant? You can literally learn a new technique, or develop a new technique almost just as fast."_

Naruto sighed, Mei was right. However he did know one thing, he wasn't going to be giving free techniques. If Sasuke happened to copy one of his techniques, he would have to work for it.

Naruto summoned four shadow clones directly in front of him which completely blocked his view from Sasuke, whom decided to throw several shurikan Naruto's way. Naruto knew he had nothing to worry about, and they would be easily deflected by the four clones in front of him. Naruto quickly went through the hand seals for the water fang jutsu he had used earlier on Gaara.

So once the giant spiraling pillars of water burst out of the water, Naruto realized just what Sasuke had spent his time training this month. Speed. Sasuke had dodged past three of the pillars that came crashing down around him almost effortlessly with a level of speed he had never seen shown before besides in Rock Lee's fight with Gaara. He suddenly realized how grave his situation could really be. He remembered what Rock Lee had said to Sasuke quite well.

_"It doesn't matter if you have the sharingan if you are not quick enough to counter the things you see." _Naruto remembered that, because it was the one time he could honestly remember Sasuke getting his ass handed to him. However that statement no longer held any weight, against Rock Lee, or against him. He had hoped that he would be able to play a type of zone defense against Sasuke. Any fire jutsu sent his way he could merely shut them down with a single water wall ninjutsu, and then he could push Sasuke into a corner with a series of water fang jutsus. Yet his new speed pretty much just took a giant crap on any plan he had before with how to face Sasuke.

'_Alright I can't engage him in melee combat, he is far faster then me. I can't do the same thing to him as I did to Neji because he actually has jutsus he could throw at me. Long ranged, while I chakra to waste... it is rather pointless to try and stick him with a jutsu when he can merely dodge them. How can I get through this...' _Naruto thought to himself with a scowl. Sasuke's speed had served to hard counter the majority of Naruto's techniques. Even gliding on water, he wasn't going to even insinuate that he was as fast as Lee without his weights, which Sasuke surely was by any judge of the speed he just was able to show.

Naruto grit his teeth from the other side of the field and began to summon volley after volley of water foxes. The water bulged up as they ran briefly under water before leaping above the water, and chasing Sasuke down. The Uchiha pulled out a kunai and began to fend six or seven of them off before he had to run. Luckily, getting Sasuke to run was the goal all along. The water foxes technique was simply, and in theory everyone could learn to do it, or apply it to any other animal they choose. The foxes were just water clones that were rapidly constructed from the ground up to be in the form of foxes. Then like dogs herding sheep, their main goal was just to round up the opponent.

They virtually cost no chakra to make in general, but Naruto honestly couldn't even feel the drain. Due to their small size, and being made out of water, they cost somewhere in between a third and half as much chakra as your regular water clone.

Naruto could tell that the barrage of constant foxes was beginning to grate on Sasuke's nerves, if his yell was anything to do with it. "Naruto! Quit hiding behind your foxes and fight me!"

Naruto grinned at his yell and opted to be obnoxious, "Nuhuh! You have pink eye, I hear its contagious!" Yet deep down he was holding back an all out laugh. Yep... he certainly had no trouble developing relatively cheap tactics. Naruto knew he wouldn't be resorting to these cheap tactics if he had a way of going into melee combat with Sasuke. The problem was the combination of his speed with his sharingan made going into melee combat pointless.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw Sasuke find a temporary counter to his water foxes. He ran high up on the stadium wall. The water foxes ran across water, and they couldn't go more than ten to twelve feet from a water source because like Mizu Bunshins, they didn't have enough chakra to hold themselves together without water or the creator in close distance. Sasuke sent a fire jutsu down which instantly destroyed the remaining foxes, and quickly began to run his way along the wall.

Naruto was able to tell one thing about Sasuke as he ran his way over to him. Fending off those foxes had made him tired. So here was Sasuke attempting to get into Melee combat with him? Well not a chance in hell that was happening before he tired out. Naruto was sure he was going to make that happen.

Naruto jumped up onto the stadium wall and ran against Sasuke before summoning a few shadow clones behind him on the wall, that Sasuke would have to take care of. He could only hope that those clones would stall Sasuke long enough so that he wouldn't get completely overrun by his teammate's speed. Naruto looked around the stadium as he racked his brain for anything he could utilize to beat Sasuke, because attempting to tire the boy out could take a long time, and there were countless areas left open for error.

That was when the light bulb went off in his head.

One of the rules of the chunin exam is very simple, and basic, and frankly common sense. You can't leave the chunin exam floor, or fighting area would be more specific. However there were two faults to this rule at present time with Naruto's fight with Sasuke. Number one, where he can't leave the chunin exam floor, that doesn't say anything for clones. Number two? The chunin exams were officially over the moment Naruto was dubbed winner of the tournament and was given his chunin gear.

Naruto spawned twelve shadow clones and left four to intercept Sasuke, while the remaining clones rushed off into the stadium in search of the items their maker wanted.

Naruto jumped down to the arena floor, keeping his eye on Sasuke. Now he knew he just needed to stall, and try and take his attention off of the clones that rushed into the stands. Luckily for Naruto, Sasuke wasn't the type to get distracted, and he simply jumped down firing a giant fire dragon at Naruto.

Naruto knew something like this was coming seeing as how he saw Sasuke flashing through hand seals in mid air, and he already knew some of Sasuke's justus. Naruto thew up a water wall quickly, and the impact between the two coated the arena floor with a thick misty steam that had extremely low visibility.

Naruto momentarily glanced up, and saw that his clones were doing their job. They all had bowls in their hands and were jumping across the stadium grabbing something from the bowl and throwing it down to the stadium. Naruto knew it was only a matter of time before his plan would take effect, he just needed to last that long in close combat with Sasuke.

This distraction however only served to get Naruto punched across the jaw, before having his shoulder's pulled and forcing him to come down quite hard on Sasuke's knee. Yet if it was a grappling battle Sasuke wanted to do? Naruto was more than happy to comply. Grappling would not only serve to eliminate his speed, but it also fell into the category of Rock Lee's quote. Even if Sasuke could see what Naruto was trying to do, it didn't mean he would be able to counter it.

Naruto took his gauntlet encased arm and gave Sasuke a vicious punch to his ribs, which cause him to curl over slightly before kicking Naruto back, and off of him.

'_I guess he realized that grappling wasn't going to be a smart more with me.'_ Naruto thought with the slightest grin on his face, and the fact that they hadn't even gotten to the grappling phase. Naruto was given a moment to observe Sasuke's appearance. The boy looked dead tired. All of the constant running at high speeds must have taken a toll on his body, and it was only going to be a matter of time before Naruto could turn the tables around on him.

Sasuke attempted to rush Naruto when he was down, before his eyes began to burn and he threw a sloppy punch that even missed Naruto.

Naruto grinned, '_Yep...'_ he thought to himself as he received memories of the clones above dispelling '_The plan is in full effect...'_

Naruto didn't wait for a signal, and punched Sasuke right in the eye. He was fully intent with giving the Uchiha something to remember this defeat by. Sasuke sprawled several feet across the water, the steamy mist now dissipated.

Sasuke was rubbing his eyes cursing, "Son of a... what the hell is this!" He yelled to himself as he frantically rubbed his eyes and started to excessively blink.

Naruto said nothing and kicked Sasuke in the gut. The attack had enough force behind it to send Sasuke flipping backwards once before slamming into the nearby wall.

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Up in the stands of the stadium everyone was thoroughly confused as to Sasuke's current state. Just what had Naruto sprinkled into the stadium?

"Kurenai, can you reach that bowl and see what was in it?" Kakashi asked as he saw one of the discarded bowls that the clones dropped when they had dispelled themselves.

Kurenai reached down and grabbed the bowl, looking at it momentarily with a raised eyebrow before sniffing the bowl from a slight distance. Her eyes widened in surprise, but a smirk appeared on her face that barely contained her amusement. Uzumaki Naruto seemingly had a bunch of interesting and rather inventive ways to win fights. "Its Pepper..." she said with a bit of a laugh.

The jounins near by held back their surprise, but most of the genin on the other hand...

"Pepper?" they all asked at once in confusion and mild surprise.

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Naruto stared impassively as he beat his friend around. After Sasuke had slammed into the wall, Naruto had wasted no time in continuing the beating of Sasuke. He quickly made his way over to his form sliding down the wall to the water.

Sasuke attempted to throw a quick blind kick to Naruto's ribs, which he easily blocked with his gauntlet covered arm. He punched the leg that attacked him back down hard, before spinning and giving Sasuke a metal elbow to the face. The attack made him back peddle several feet, but surprisingly didn't make him fall.

Sasuke grit his teeth at the beating he was receiving by Naruto, he thought of everything plausible, but if he couldn't see? He couldn't do anything. So why could Naruto see perfectly fine?

Sasuke leaped off of the exam floor and onto the wall. Naruto's plan was good, but he wasn't the only person that could craft up a battle strategy on the fly.

On the wall he got into a crouch as he saw Naruto's approaching form. He rushed through a series of hand seals.

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Monkey Dragon Rat Bird...

"You didn't Kakashi..." asked Gai in mild disbelief as the boy stood on the wall flashing through a series of hand seals he recognized quite well.

Kakashi had since gripped the rail, and his calm impassive face was now replaced with an emotion they rarely saw from the jounin. "I specifically told him that he wasn't to ever use that technique against his friends! That the chidori is a weapon, a tool, to protect the bonds he has with his comrades!" Anger...

Kurenai scoffed, she wasn't particularly fond of the Uchiha boy. He seemingly always got what he wanted, and she didn't fell he really deserved any of it. The boy had a tough childhood growing up, that was all. Most shinobi do have a tough childhood. "Perhaps... you didn't take in to account that the boy may very well feel that Naruto is not his friend, and his comrade, but truly only his rival?" Kurenai said with a calm expression as she looked over the match. Naruto had stopped charging Sasuke the moment he saw lightning burst forth from his hand.

Silence was all that reigned the group of friends and teachers as they watched an attack that very well could prove to be fatal.

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Naruto watched with the slightest bit of panic as Sasuke charged down the wall, and he could tell from the boy's eyes he was straining them to the maximum potential to due to all of the pepper in the air irritating his eyes. Naruto was glad that he had Kyuubi so that such fickle things like a little bit of pepper in the air wouldn't bother him. However that didn't solve his present problem, that merely solved an inconvenience.

Naruto in that moment racked his brain for any possible thing he could do to avoid the attack, or disrupt the attack, or at least counter. He only found one plausible way, and he knew that with one false step it could cost him his arm. However... for all he knew this technique could get more powerful as time went on, so he needed to end it now.

Sasuke scrunched up his legs as he became parallel with the watch, and launched himself across it, careful to make sure his hand didn't touch the water and light up the water below and diffuse the technique.

Naruto's eyes widened at the flying Uchiha launching for him, and rapidly made a single water clone a foot behind him.

Sasuke outstretched his hand, his eyes too strained to even notice the water clone appear behind Naruto. That single fact proved to be his downfall.

Just a single moment before Sasuke made contact with Naruto, he did the replacement jutsu with his water clone before jumping high in the air. Sasuke struck right through the water clone, and the water clone that was attached to the watery floor below caused the floor to light up completely for a few seconds as the sheer power of the jutsu diffused outwards.

Sasuke grit his teeth as he saw Naruto in the sky free falling down towards the wall farthest from him. He prepared to launch another attack, at least until everyone in the stadium heard it.

"**Finally! You let me out to play!**"

The cry was quickly followed by several explosions setting off all at once, including what appeared to be a smoke bomb in the Kage box. An invasion had begun.

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**chapter end.**

Alright, well this is another chapter that I am releasing that was originally 2 chapters. I felt it would spare me QQ over Rin if I released Sasuke getting beat by Naruto at the same time. A little bit of Kakashi being chewed out this chapter, however I believe it was justifiable, and you can't make a change for the better if you never acknowledge your faults.

Rin is the character I mentioned would be modeled after someone from another series. If you keep up with PC gaming, I am sure you know whom she is modeled after already. For those who don't please bear with me because it will all make sense and actually flow together soon enough. She will be modeled after Sarah Kerrigan of starcraft.

"OMG WTFUX BLEED? FUTURE STUFFZ IN NARUTO! UR KILLIN MY FAV STORY BREH!"

No... I'm not. Just have faith in my. I know what I am doing with her character. Even if you are convinced I am an idiot right now. Just bear with me.

I have more information on her character, and if people are really nervous about her implementation and want clarification as to exactly what her role will be, or what her abilities will be, say so in a review and I will respond to you. Just expect spoilers, and don't cry about being spoiled if you didn't want to wait lol...

I will keep this AN short, expect a lot of chaos next chapter. Crazy seals. Crazy battles. Crazy turn of events that many of you guys will never see. In fact, I know there is one that I can almost promise you all that you have never seen before... because frankly... I have never seen it done and I read a lot. A lot of fun stuff.

I would like to also mention I have found my replacement for Summoning which I think you will all like. It just introduces more characters to be developed, and will make some future scenes rather tense and interesting.

Finally: Questions are always fun to answer... so I will ask this.

**I am tempted to make Naruto go through a series of smaller relationships, like people go through in real life before the final pairing actually comes around. What is your opinion on this?**

**edit: I have decided against this. I realize that I just have too much on Naruto's plate to really do this effectively.**

**edit 2: I have been getting PMs from people saying they weren't able to see the chapter. So I am reposting it. Also was this chapter bad? I got virtually no reviews for it (in contrast to the past few chapters.) I am tempted to go back and redo this chapter since it seems not a lot of people liked it in contrast to others :(...  
**


	7. When Someone's Freedom is Taken Away

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Naruto raced through the forest at an impressive speed. He thought about calling himself an idiot at his decision, but the circumstances couldn't be helped. He felt he needed to do this. He needed to see this. He could still vividly remember Mei's words as the bombs went off while he was on the arena floor.

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_"Naruto! Come on, me and my bodyguards will get us out of here!" She said suddenly as she dropped down in front of Naruto. She grabbed his hand gently and began to pull him. He was like a star struck teenager at the madness that was going on around them._

_However despite Mei having a hold of Naruto, his attention wasn't on her. He could see the beast absolutely clearly from a hole that had been blown in the wall of the stadium. A giant raccoon made of sand, and everything suddenly all made sense to him. A giant raccoon made of sand? A red head that has distinct features of that of a raccoon such as the black ringed eyes? The fear his siblings showed him? They were alike. Another jinchuriki in Konoha? He had to meet the boy on even terms, when they weren't supposed to fight.  
_  
_"Sorry Mei... I can't go with you..." He said as he slowly began to pull away from her grip and began to slowly inch his way to the broken wall of the stadium._

_Both of Mei's body guards got rather wide eyes at the statement before turning to the glowering Mizukage. "Excuse me?" she asked through gritted teeth. "Where do you plan on going then Naruto-kun?" she said forcing the suffix. She couldn't believe this child would actually want to be stranded in the middle of a battlefield, much less oppose her after all of this time._

_"Look Mei! I'm sorry I can't go with you right now!" Naruto said in frustration completely shrugging out of the woman's grasp, and leaping to make his way out of the stadium. He jumped over some fallen rubble as water continued to flood out of the stadium through cracks. He went to make another leap as soon as he was out of the stadium, but true to her title the Mizukage was right in front of Naruto. In the middle of his leap, she had caught him by the throat and raised him to her eye level._

_"Why oh why are you trying to get yourself killed..." She said in a low voice as she pulled Naruto mere inches from her own face._

_Naruto grit his teeth as he struggled against the woman's grip, "Mei!" Naruto gasped out through the choke hold, "I just need to see it alright!" Naruto said as he cast his eyes away from the woman. "It is the only person I have ever found that is like me."_

_Mei looked to the side where the raging beast was making it's advances on Konoha, at a rather slow and sluggish pace. "Naruto, that is no longer any jinchuriki you think it is, that is purely a beast. You wont be able to talk to it, to reason with it, I am not going to let you go just so you can possibly end up dead." She sifted through her brain quickly for a comment that would get the boy to go with her, "You are for too important for me to be able to stand seeing you hurt... or worse."_

_Naruto's gaze softened exponentially and he actually turned his gaze to the Mizukage, a frown still apparent on his face. "I'm sorry Mei-chan... but I have to go. I promise if there is anything I can do for you I will help you alright? But you have to let me go."_

_Mei held back a frown at the outcome of this fight of theirs. There wasn't much she could do if he was this dead set on seeing the beast. She knew deep down though that if she was one of the nine Jinchuriki in the world, she would be curious about meeting one as well._

_She stared at Naruto for a good minute, still holding him off the ground by his neck before sighing. After going through multiple civil wars in her own village, she had grown quick to learn that she could use her female charm to get one wrapped around her finger. It wasn't something she particularly enjoyed doing, yet when in war, desperate times call for desperate measures. Naruto was invaluable to the Mist as a resource, and they would need his potential power._

_At least... that is what she tried to rationalize when she gave the boy a soft kiss on the lips before dropping the red faced boy down. She had told him the kiss was for good luck, but she also knew it was for numerous other reasons that wouldn't fit on a list. "Remember our deal Naruto." she said calmly as he turned to move._

_As Naruto ran off, Mei turned to her body guards whom were both surprised by her actions. Also to her slightest bit of guilt, the youngest swordsmen ever inducted into the Seven Shinobi Swordsman of the Mist seemed quite put out by her actions. She remembered quite vividly that she had once done this to get the poor swordsman wrapped around her finger. The boy never really did grow out of it... not that it was particularly a bad thing. Yet she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of guilt whenever she saw how loyal the boy was to her regardless of her actions. Yes... toying with the emotions of people close to her always had repercussions. Yet after years of doing it she had long since forgot that the road to hell is paved with the best intentions._

_"Mei do you really think letting him go on his own is really such a good idea?" The man with an eye patch asked with a raised eyebrow._

_Mei pursed her lips as she watched the boy's shrinking form as he got farther into the distance. "Konoha will probably send someone after him eventually... however to be safe lets get this done quickly so we can check on the boy if required. Follow me, you have to assist me with defending the Sandaime Hokage. I have a new plan."  
_  
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Naruto shook his head clear of thought as he grew closer and closer to the giant sand beast. That was when he saw it out of the corner of his eye. The sand siblings, or at least two of them. The blonde haired girl, Temari, whom was Naruto's last match was huddled over the fallen form of her red headed brother.

Naruto jumped from branch to branch over to the wind mistress before landing in front of the girl.

The girl must not have been aware of her surroundings, because the moment Naruto landed beside them, her teary eyes went wide and she erected her fan as a shield to attempt to ward the yellow haired boy off. However with her being a long ranged fighter, it didn't take much at all for Naruto to render her useless. Naruto place his gauntlet encased arm on the fan, and between being physically stronger then the girl, and in such close range to her there was nothing she could do.

"I'm not here to fight you." Naruto said calmly as he tried to hold up a hand that gave the silent message of 'I come in peace' in case she didn't understand his initial verbal message.

Yet the girl was hearing none of it. She reared back her fist and launched it forward yelling, "Get away from my brother!" with tears in her eyes.

Naruto deftly caught the punch with his free hand and squeezed the girl's fist, bringing her to her knees. "What the hell is your problem!" Naruto asked completely confused with her irate state as he looked down to the red head. Yep... he was breathing. So what was the girl's problem?

"My problem!" she fan wielder questioned with a yell. "My problem is that your fucking Anbu came into the contestant box to me and my brothers. Then he attacked my brother breaking his puppet before cutting his achilles tendons!" She spat in frustration as tears streamed down her face.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked to the red head briefly, which Temari didn't take all that well. Yet not letting Naruto to come to the conclusions himself, she said "Not Gaara, my other brother you fucking idiot!"

Naruto grit his teeth at the girl before him, and contemplated momentarily if anyone would really miss her if she accidentally fell out of this tree.

"Then! He took Gaara while he was injured and rushed out of the stadium with him. I tried to run after him, but he was too fast. By the time I get here, the masked man is gone, and he already unsealed Shuk-" like a kid whom had just said something she shouldn't have, she quickly clasped her hand over her mouth.

Naruto however was surprised by her statement and could already piece together the rest of the statement, "Wait, so you are telling me that you can unseal a tailed beast and still live?" Naruto asked, slightly hopeful at the possibility.

Temari had since gone unresponsive and merely said, "Please just go..."

Naruto frowned as her and let go of her first, before like a father would to a daughter, he pat her on the head. "Get out of here, I will try and... distract this thing." He said with a frown on his face as he looked over to the tailed beast.

Temari looked like she wanted to laugh, despite her red teary eyes, which in turn made Naruto growl. "Go now, I wont offer again!" he yelled at her harshly.

She wasn't going to push the chunin champion and quickly gathered her brother and wrapped his arm over her shoulder, and carried her fan in her free hand before leaping off trying to get as far away from the unsealed tailed beast as possible.

Naruto looked at the beast before him with a growing frown. His frown wasn't due to fear, but due to recognition. This type of beast? This atrocity was not only the weakest of them all, but was literally destroying all life around him as he walked. The sand that poured off of the beast and bathed the ground below him. He occasionally stopped to take pleasure in drowning a wild animal in sand all the while laughing manically on his way to Konoha.

Naruto gathered moisture from the air and created a series of clones. Hey it wasn't like he hadn't battled already today right?

Yeah that was what he would like to think. Yet when a massive tail flew over his head, but completely obliterated the tree and the several trees around it. As Naruto jumped down to the forest floor, utilizing his speed and small size to his advantage the sight before him made him take pause.

The sand that had been spilling off of the beast like some sickly toxic waste or pussing creature had since turned into a bunch of small hands running along the forest floor, merely trying to claw at him. Just then several things became evident to Naruto. Number one, the beast was toying with him. Number two, for once today, he didn't have a plan. He didn't have any plan that would turn matches one sided once executed. He was outclassed, not just in raw power, but in many things that effected a ninja's battle strategy. For example, the beast considerably outweighed Naruto, and his oppressive size instantly told him that taijutsu and more likely than not Kenjutsu was obviously not an option.

Naruto grit his teeth as he jumped up into the trees once again no longer wanting to dodge the claws coming at him. This left him to strictly ninjutsu, and he had a lot of chakra, but enough chakra to take down a tailed beast after a chakra intensive tournament? Now most would be hard pressed. The other problem was this being was obviously made of earth, where he strictly used water jutsu, along with one lightning jutsu. He had no idea if the beast had seen the strategy he had used on Gaara, but frankly right now it was his only option.

Naruto closed his eyes with a sigh as he instantly saturated the air in the hundred yards surrounding him with chakra. This action naturally had severely drained him, but it was well worth it for the situation. Sure Naruto could have just saturated the air every time before he pulled water out of it. However there were things he could now better focus on, such as how to stop the laughing maniac of a beast.

**"Your so tiny!" **the beast yelled with a laugh as it's tail slapped on the ground a couple times, shaking the surrounding area. **"Look at you! You are barely the size of my nails! You think you can beat me? So much as scratch me?" **

More laughter ensued.

Naruto however did his best to ignore the raging beast's insults no matter how true they were. Part of him now wished he had went with Mei, or at least left the sand siblings to die. Yet here he was playing the hero. Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he did a back flip to another tree. He knew he wasn't a hero, never was, likely never will be.

Naruto stared up at the insane beast, and felt a moderate amount of sympathy for it. Despite all of its violent tendencies, Naruto could remember an old saying, something that the Hokage had actually told him a few days after his encounter with Mizuki.

_"Hey old man I kicked Mizuki's ass pretty good right? He is too scared to even look at me, and is constantly looking over his shoulder even if he has that stupid smile on his face everywhere he goes." Naruto said with a grin, trying to hide his frown as he thought that perhaps Mizuki was really afraid of him because of the Kyuubi._

_Sarutobi merely stood next to the boy, but said nothing which prompted Naruto to question him._

_"Old man?"_

_Sarutobi shook his head with a weak smile as he looked down at Naruto. "Naruto there is an old saying that I had learned from my two senseis, the former Hokages. They said that "A man never really knows himself until his freedom has been taken away." after giving me a lecture on Uchiha Madara and his betrayal of Konoha. They said that his clan essentially being confined to a district of Konoha, especially when being so power hungry drove the man mad with envy and greed. Now look at Mizuki Naruto, what do you see?"_

_Naruto peered over just to try and get a glimpse at Mizuki whom was being escorted to Anbu head quarters. However they turned the corner before he could see anything. So he made something up, "Fear..."_

_Sarutobi chuckled a bit and turned away bringing his hat down to shadow over his face as he motioned Naruto to walk with him. "No Naruto, insanity."_

Who knows how long the tailed beast had been used for a Jinchuriki. However it was obvious the beast had long since gone off the deep end.

Naruto gathered another group of clone seeing as how all of his old ones had been destroyed by the beast before him, or just be the sheer amount of collateral damage the demon was producing_. _Naruto knew that eventually he would grow tired of running and dodging, not to mention he may end up slipping up. So his only chance was to fight back.

With that being said a dozen water clone rushed at the giant beast.

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The Mizukage jumped onto the building where there was a giant purple dome with several anbu in front of it. Sure she knew that she may act a bit sensitive with Naruto, and borderline inappropriate with the young boy. Although, her guards, and her shinobi knew one thing about her. On the battlefield, she was utterly ruthless.

"Chojuro map the perimeter! Ao find an opening. Anbu what are you doing just standing around when your Hokage is in trouble?" She said addressing her two bodyguards before addressing the squad of Konoha Anbu.

The leader of the Anbu spoke up with a minor shake of the head, "There are no gaps amongst the perimeter Mizukage-sama. We can only hope that there is a point in which the shield drops that either allows us time to get in, or for the Hokage to flee."

The Mizukage shook her head as she calculated the surrounding area, one didn't become the victor of a civil war without being a master tactician. There was also the fact that she needed to be in there for her own personal needs. Besides... no defense was perfect.

"Mei!" Ao said quickly grabbing her attention. She had told all of the shinobi close to her to address her by her first or last name excecpt when at formal affairs. The heat of battle, no matter the location wasn't a formal affair.

The shinobi with an eye patch came up quickly and whispered in her ear, "The bottom of the energy field is weaker, however even at the weakest levels I imagine you would become considerably burned by even the faintest touch. Yet... I believe if we launch an elemental jutsu at the four sides of the energy field. They would need to focus more energy to maintain those sides of the energy field."

Mei nodded her head slowly and as Chojuro came around the corner of the field she then gathered herself with the Anbu. "Alright here is what I need you to do. Chujuro go to the northern wall of the field with your sword drawn. The rest of you, produce a relatively strong elemental jutsu at the energy shield from the east, west, south, and the top of the shield. Chujuro, you don't need to do any jutsu."

Ao scoffed lightly at that, but he quickly averted his gaze as the Mizukage gave him a deathly glare before she continued. "At any rate, the shinobi holding up the field should have to direct more chakra to the sides being attacked, but more then likely will have to reduce all the shields on the bottom to hold up the side Chujuro is on as well. They will believe that we are attacking on four of the sides that can be attacked from above so that Chujuro can go in on the fifth and final side above with his sword drawn and assist the Hokage. They will then be forced to keep that side up as well with likely a greater amount of energy since they are focusing on that. If all goes right, then I will be able to slip through one of the gaps that may appear in the shield from below. Is that understood?"

When there were no comments from the shinobi, particularly the Anbu whom were now "looking" at the woman in a new light, as if they were looking at a commanding officer.

"Then what the hell are you all standing here for then? Go damnit before I kill you people for being a waste of space!"

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Naruto grit his teeth as he flooded his five shadow clones with as much chakra as possible. He could literally feel the burn as he began to pull on Kyuubi's chakra and let it flood into his system before flowing out and into the five clones. The reason he was doing this was simply because he knew just one water jutsu would not soak the beast. Hell he didn't even think five would do the trick... but if he used any more he had a feeling he would lose control. Losing control in a battle like this... well relying on instinct like he did in the past with Haku would not work with a tailed beast. It would only serve to get him crushed.

The sound and feel of a giant blast of wind, and the sound of uprooting trees in the nearby area only meant one thing. He had been found.

Naruto quickly had his clones scatter into a perimeter around the the beast, at a good distance. They did their best not to be seen, and he could only hope the attention he was about to attempt to attract would draw the beast to him and not his clones. After all this plan was merely a one shot, hit or miss situation. The most he could do is lead the beast away from Konoha like he had been doing.

Naruto jumped to the forest floor and dodged to the left behind a tree summoning twelve water clones. He made the clones heavier then usual by implementing them with a greater amount of water then necessary for a water clone. Sure it cost more chakra to hold more water together, but at the going rate at only slightly more then a regular bunshin? A little more chakra cant hurt.

Naruto went out into the open where the tail had sense retracted and started to grab the demon's attention.

"Hey fat ass! Quit missing!" Naruto yelled as he got ready to dodge any oncoming attack.

Shukaku, while Naruto could not tell, resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He launched his hand forward to the forest floor, before rushing it along the ground with a bunch of miniature claws sprouting from his arm. Playing with your prey was one thing. However there was no way he was going to let some silly fleshling taunt him and get away with him. Konoha could wait for his prey... but snarky prey? No those would be dealt with quickly.

Naruto barely had time to react as the clawed hand launched at him at speeds he never expected from the formerly large and rather sluggish beast. He was able to jump up over it, but not before his gauntlet getting a nice big gash on it, along with his sash getting a series of rips at the bottom. It was as if the beast's sand arm when moving by became that of razors upon contact.

Although, Naruto wasn't going to be one to waste this current opportunity. He jumped onto the beasts arm, followed by his water clones. He used chakra to stick to the arm, and hopefully the thin layer of chakra would keep any dangers of the raccoons possibly razor sharp body away.

Another arm burst forth in front of Naruto as he ran up the extended arm and charged at him. Naruto leaned to the side dodging the arm, and let it pierce through all of the water clones behind him. Typically shinobi would view this as bad. Naruto however didn't, he wasn't a genius, but he could think on his feet and capitalize on advantages when he saw them. Sure his clones got destroyed... but that didn't stop him from using one of the Nidaime Hokage's many abbreviated hand seals.

A water dragon burst forth from the falling water of the destroyed clones. Water continued to get sucked in to the water dragon as it charged along and aimed right for the demon's face. It all came down to this next hit or miss.

The demon grinned and shot a giant air bullet at the dragon, turning it into falling specs of water that evaporated back into the air in an instant. Yet that wasn't the attack Naruto ever intended for the demon to pay attention to, and by now it was too late.

Four water dragons had shot up into the air behind the giant raccoon and rammed into the demon's right arm saturating it with water, which in turn caused the demon to laugh. There was honestly no visible damage. The only thing that happened was the sand arm became wet. Yet as Naruto had proven with Gaara. The water wasn't what you had to worry about , it was what the water allowed. Naruto's clones charged forward under the giant demon and wasted no time in finishing their initial task. The lightning jutsu.

All four of them super heated the sand, and in an instant that majority of the raccoons arm turned into liquid glass... at least until Naruto launched another water dragon over the arm, the cold water instantly hardening the glass. Naruto grinned, at least until he saw the beasts eyes narrow.

Naruto whipped the water dragon around and had it's sheer force shatter into the end of the demon's claws, grabbing a single finger and shattering it off as it passed by, and carried it in it's jaw. It whipped around and thrashed wildly before whipping the large glass spike into the raccoon's head.

The raccoon appeared unamused, and unfazed by the attack. That was when Naruto knew it was over. All of that served to do absolutely nothing to the beast?

The one tailed demon shot a wind bullet at the forest floor, the impact flinging Naruto back into a tree, slamming into it full force, nearly completely on his head. Before he let darkness take him, that was when he heard it. It was a light laugh that rang though his ears easily despite the sound of falling trees, and distant explosions. He was able to weakly see out of the corner of his eye what appeared to be a woman stepping out of the shadows and preparing to face the beast.

"I knew you would need my help... eventually."

He could only hope she wasn't as stupid as he was.

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Mei stared at the situation before her with all of the forest growth. She was in a dilemma. Before her were both Orochimaru and the Sandaime Hokage in a deadlock. It was an impressive sight really. She knew right then that she was watching when the unstoppable force, meets the immovable object. It had taken a bit, but she was a master tactician. Through gently tugs and pulls in this or that direction during the battle, she had achieved a deadlock between the two shinobi, and she held their fate in her hands.

Orochimaru had legendary sword of Kusanagi attempting to piece the Hokage's body that had effectively hardened utilizing the old doton technique, 'The Earth Spear'. The only weakness the earth technique had was lightning techniques. Sarutobi could not move, for if he did, the Kusanagi would have the opportunity of striking one of the unprotected areas of the jutsu, which was one of it's major flaws. It weighed a shinobi down too much, so utilizing it for full body defense would only get one killed if they had to dodge a technique. There in lied the problem.

The Hokage refused to move, or he would be sliced open by his former student, and Orochimaru couldn't move because his free hand had been turned temporarily useless by the Mizukage's attack.

"Mizukage! Finish him off!" yelled the Sandaime as he stayed still not taking his eyes of his former student.

Mei shook her head with a sigh. After having just faced two of the former Hokages, and one of the greatest missing ninjas in history. She contemplated just letting the old man die. Yet she couldn't. She had things she needed to accomplish to ensure that The Mist would regain power. Making enemies with the hidden village widely believed to be the strongest of all hidden villages would be a bad move. Yet... this needed to be done.

"I am afraid Hokage that I did not come in here solely to help you... as I am sure you are aware. Are you aware of a binding seal?" she asked in an even tone that made both of the shinobi before her hold back their mild surprise at the situation.

Sarutobi however had since realized how grave the situation really was for him. He was the definition of a rock in a hard place. Comply with the woman's demands, his life is spared, along with Konoha's greatest missing ninja is killed. If he didn't comply... he would likely be killed. This would be just to ensure that his word wouldn't get out over her actions, and then propaganda could serve to cover up any rumors he may spread about her actions. Yet knowing his former student, he had a feeling that he would much rather take credit for the kill.

"I know several binding seals. However I assume you are speaking of the one that forces a person to keep the agreed upon terms, unless they wish to face death." he said bitterly.

"Precisely. I believe you realize why I have brought this up then correct?" she said silently.

He merely nodded his head, already not liking the current situation, and trying to think of a way out of the situation.

"Then..." she said as she walked up behind the old Hokage, but kept a decent distance. A Kage usually always had something up their sleeve. "I want you to sign the documents for a permanent shinobi transfer to the Hidden Mist for Uzumaki Naruto. Don't worry, I wont forcibly take him... until it is deemed necessary. I much rather have the boy come on his own free will, seeing as how with him having such great past experiences here... it will be hard for him to leave the place." She said with a hint of sarcasm about Naruto's experiences.

"Then, I want you to be willing to discuss the terms of forming an alliance with my village, since surely your alliance with Suna is not in ruins and you are left alone in the shinobi world against forces that would just love to exploit your weakness after this invasion. My country included." She took a breath as she noticed the Hokage's shoulders slump just slightly.

"Finally, in regards to the first and second and this binding seal, they are to never be talked about. I also don't want the action of you being forced to hand over Uzumaki Naruto to impact your decision with any negotiations that in the future with The Hidden Mist village. Also allow me to add into this seal, that you shall never attempt to bring harm to me. I can't have you turning around right after these seals and stabbing me in the heart now can I? You also must willingly allow me the right to alter these seals shall I deem it fit Hokage." Mei finished with a cold stare at the back of the Hokage's head. Did she like being manipulative? No. However she didn't like a lot of things, such as fighting. Especially when it was unnecessary. So in the words of the old Salamander Hanzo. _'Why fight when you can use subterfuge?'_

The Hokage grit his teeth and silently fumed at his situation. There was nothing he could do if he didn't want to die and leave Konoha open to attack without a Hokage, and no alliances. "Just get this shit over with Mizukage." he said through clenched teeth.

The Mizukage grinned as she walked up and placed a hand on the man's spinal column. "Don't look so sad Hokage. You would be dead if you didn't agree to this." Three consecutive seals with shot in under the flesh and were engraved on the man's spinal column.

Sarutobi scoffed and spat out, "You will one day learn that there are some fates worse than death Mizukage."

"You will take these secrets to your grave... _Hokage-sama._" She finished with an icy tone.

"_And you..._" she said as she turned with Orochimaru with a wicked gleam.

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Naruto blinked slowly, peering out through blurry eyes. He was laying on the ground, with a moderately steep slope. However he was in no position to roll over and examine his surroundings. He felt like his entire body had been hit by a tree... oh wait...

Crouched over his fallen form, Naruto could barely make out the image of a woman... an odd looking, rather exposed woman, but a woman none the less. She mine as well of been naked with how little clothing she was wearing. Seemingly opting to not wear a top, and only the shortest shorts he had ever seen. If he hadn't been so injured, and the woman didn't have so many... _things_ on her body, he likely would of blushed.

He had no idea what to call the numerous quantity of "_Things..." _that covered her body. They reminded him kind of like the shells of beetles. Like an insect carapace, but... he had seen some crazy stuff in his short time as a ninja. He hadn't seen anything like that. Even from Shino.

It was odd that he was able to relax in the shade seeing as how there were no trees around. Yet it was that fact that quickly snapped Naruto back to reality and quickly sobered up his vision. The woman had wings! He would of called her an angel if it weren't for the fact that the said wings were webbed like a bat.

The first words out of Naruto's mouth were slow as he looked around the smoldering landscape, "I'm in hell... aren't I?"

The woman looked slightly offended at this, but said nothing. She brushed her brown locks of hair out of her face. It was incredibly smooth, Naruto could tell even without touching it. It was like that of spider silk. However her most stunning feature were her golden eyes, that literally radiated a small mist that seeped out of her eyes and diffused into the air.

Naruto made a move to sit up, before he was roughly pushed back down by the woman and his shift was lifted up revealing his stomach, and more importantly, his seal. "Hey what the hell are you doing!" Naruto yelled as he tried to force himself off the ground again, this time with a wince due to his injured form.

"Stay down Naruto." the woman said softly as she began scrawling on a few extra seals on the outsides of Naruto's current seal.

"What! Who the hell are you? How the hell do you even know my name! Get away from my fucking seal!" Naruto said, still quite violent with the woman whom was seemingly unfazed by the boy's yelling.

The woman didn't respond for moment as she continued drawing seals before saying, "I knew your parents."

Rage melted away within an instant and now he was stuck back with his head on straight. At least as straight as any teenager could have his head. Naruto didn't know whether to be more focused on the parents comment, or the awkward shift the woman pulled over his body which had her chest glide across his momentarily.

The woman however decided for him when she caught the boy staring at her chest, and roughly pushed his head to the side and held it there. "Don't look at me like that Naruto." she said a bit forcefully as she pressed a... clawed hand down on the boy's face.

Naruto was embarrassed at being caught staring... but hey? He was a teenager. His mind is supposed to be on that what? Once every six seconds? Naruto took a deep breath as he tried to figure out how to handle the situation. '_Could she really be telling the truth about knowing my parents?_' Naruto thought with the slightest bit of hope.

"Why are you here... Who are you?" Naruto said slowly as the woman pushed and pulled him back and forth as she would examine the seal on his stomach for a bit before drawing a few seals.

"I saw that you needed help and I was looking out for you." She said quickly, ignoring the second half of the boy's question.

"That doesn't really answer the second question."

"I know."

Naruto grit his teeth and contemplated biting the single claw that dangled in front of his mouth. However he had the underlying feeling that it would honestly do him more harm than good.

The golden eyed woman cut to the chase and began listing, and generally talking about the things she knew Naruto wanted to hear. "I was a friend of your mothers before you were born. No you still can't know my name. Your parents both loved you very much. Your mom's name is Kushina..." she continued to list random information about Naruto's mom. However while he loved hearing this, he could only honestly take it at face value. The woman could very well just be lying straight to his face.

"What are you doing?" Naruto cut in quickly stopping her list of facts about his "Mother."

The woman paused as she looked down at the boy before saying, "Something you will probably hate."

That instantly put Naruto on the defensive, and he kicked up with all of his might against the woman. She was obviously not one to be delicate in tense situations. She was almost... apathetic to them in fact.

She was able to hold Naruto down with ease, as the chakra that Naruto had pushed out into the air earlier flew in and began to circle in her hand and finger tips.

Naruto was frantic, the last time someone tampered with his seal, nothing good came from it. He was merely lucky that Mei with her medium level of knowledge of seals was able to do a quick fix during there training to at least make it so he could fight without blowing all of his chakra on a dozen bunshin.

The woman however did surprise Naruto as she held the boy down and took a deep breath. It seemed as if she had prepared for this moment, yet was getting her tongue caught in her throat as she racked her brain for what to say. "Naruto..." She said slowly as she looked up searching for the right words. "I don't know how to really say this." She began slowly as she went through a few one handed hand seals. "I care about you a lot, and while you don't know who I am or-"

Naruto tried to cut the woman off, but a hand was quickly placed over his mouth.

"Or how close we used to be. I know you very well may hate me after today, but just know that I love and care for you, and I am sorry that I couldn't be there for you. I just want you to know that this..." she looked at her glowing hand for a second before looking behind her, at something Naruto hadn't seen yet. "This is for your own protection."

Naruto's eyes went wide as the woman slammed her hand onto his seal and he felt like his entire body was on fire, and it was truly the worst pain he ever felt, and he couldn't help but release a scream as he rolled over. Yet upon rolling over, that is when he saw it.

"Naruto your mother Kushina told me to look out for you. I have done the best that I could, and I know that I have failed you. Just know that I am always looking out for you, even if you don't realize it at the time. I am always listening."

"No you can't lea..." Naruto tried to gasp out, "Like this... not like this..."

That was the last thing he heard as the woman walked in front of his vision before kneeling down and giving him a kiss on the forehead, a gesture he couldn't possibly comprehend after she just invoked such god awful pain upon him. However as she sunk into the ground and got out of his vision, he was left staring face to face with... it.

The fallen form of The One Tailed Shukaku in a giant pit. His body glowing, and slowly but surely being absorbed into Naruto's body.

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Alright there was a bit of an annoyance formatting this chapter. Also I realize that this chapter can very well paint Mei into a Mary Sue light. However the next chapter will actually really go into her character and... well I wont spoil it. Lets just say she will be expanded on quite a bit, and for the people who didn't really catch onto the entire workings of her plans in Konoha. They get explained in full.

Some other things I would like to note. I really want to say "HA I told you I would do something you have never seen! Two tailed beasts in one jinchuriki!" however I wont take a shot in the dark saying that. Although I imagine there will be some QQ on that saying "You can't do that Bleed." I actually can, and I have a pretty interesting theory as to how it would be possible, particularly with Naruto. However the entire theory wont be revealed up front, I will merely say next chapter Naruto is partially on the right track.

I decided to reveal Kushina a bit earlier then planned in order for some early character expansion.

I barely even scratched the surface of Rin, so don't jump conclusions from her brief introduction.

You also got to see how self conscious I am of my work... I totally trip balls if my review count for a chapter is dramatically lower, and it makes me want to rewrite a chapter lol. Sorry about that X.x...

I feel like I am missing quite a few things so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I think everyone whom has asked a question knows I am pretty good about getting back to the people that ask them. Anyways I think you guys will enjoy the next chapter quite a bit.

(Mei's binding seal is inspired by Harry Potter's unbreakable vow. Don't cry about it. Even the best laid plans of mice and men can...)


	8. The Greatest Plans of Mice and Men

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Note: I am extremely unhappy with parts of this chapter. The Sandaime will be referenced in other chapters, his time will come. Just not now.

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Naruto laid on his bed with a scroll on his lap, and tired eyes. It was a couple days after the invasion and he had seen no sign of Mei, he could only hope that she was okay. He hadn't been able to sleep that well ever since the... woman.

_'Those golden eyes...'_ He thought with gritted teeth. His entire body felt like it was on fire, bursting at the seems literally at every moment. The gash that he had gained on his arm during his battle with the one tailed beast hadn't even healed. In fact it didn't even appear to be in the process of healing... it was just there... being painful.

He had no idea what he should do. Hell this new turn of events made him more "Demon" than any other jinchuriki out there. The past couple days had brought him nothing but confusion and stress. He had tried to figure out as to how his situation was even possible. Two tailed beasts in one container?

He had developed countless theories as to how it was possible, but in truth the only one he could really believe was rather simple. He was in pain, everywhere. His body felt like it was going to burst at the seams with raw power. He rationalized that his body was like a water bottle. Now this water bottle that represented him was special, magical. It would refill itself to maximum capacity the next day every time he drank out of it. The refilling water represented the Kyuubi.

However what Shukaku had done when he was sealed inside Naruto was... dangerous. Imagine the water bottle completely empty. Surely the next day it would refill to maximum capacity? Of course. However the problem was that Naruto had used a portion of the Kyuubi's chakra during his battle with the One Tailed Beast. So when the beast was getting sealed, he had the space for one, perhaps two tails of chakra.

His predicament was that now the Shukaku resided in him, and the Kyuubi regained it's chakra, and he had the equivalent of 10 tails in a body that was only supposed to store nine. Thus was why he was in pain. He was swelling and nearly bursting at the seams.

However theory crafting aside, it wasn't his only problem. No he had several. For example the scroll on his lap. Yes it used to contain chunin papers, and things like a new headband and a flak jacket. All of which laid around his room, well except for the chunin papers which he promptly turned in the moment he could. No there was something extra in the scroll that he hadn't foreseen. Information on his mother.

The awkward thing about this information was that he realized he had heard a lot of it before already from the winged woman that sealed Shukaku in him. So now it merely begged the question, just whom that woman was. Naruto certainly wasn't a fan of the woman, that was for sure. Yet her mother must have been. Honestly whom would be able to say that his mother's favorite book series was the Icha Icha series that was presumably made by his godfather? Well the golden eyed woman was able to say that, so it threw Naruto off his game.

Everything in his life seemed to just be crumbling around him. Any thoughts he had about the shinobi world? Any thoughts he had about being a jinchuriki? Things he thought he knew were all just crumbling around him.

To make matters even more confusing for him. Jiji had stopped by the other day with his supposed godfather. He didn't know what to feel about the subject. The man whom was supposed to take care of him, and his mother's favorite author... he was standing right in front of him. Yet he didn't know what he should do? Be angry at the man for not being there for him? Or look past that and be the slightest bit happy that the man had decided to eventually come by.

Sarutobi had told Naruto that he had an extremely important mission for him and that they would need to leave the village in a couple days. He was supposedly going to have it be his first A-rank mission as a chunin. He would be working alongside this... godfather of his.

Everything was happening so fast, he didn't really know how to react to the situations that presented themselves. He just wanted to relax. He was in physical pain already, he didn't want to be under emotional and mental stress as well.

So naturally like any other sane person in the world, when presented with stress. They go some place that they could relax. That was what Naruto did.

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"Naruto! How could you not come by here? You have no idea how worried me and my father were about you!" Yelled Naruto's favorite female chef. "We thought something happened to you in the invasion!"

Naruto gave the girl a weak smile as she ranted on slapping a pair of chopsticks repeatedly in her hand as she looked impatiently at the boy. Upon Naruto being unresponsive to her initial question, her eyes narrowed. She looked around briefly before leaning over the counter to look up and down the street. Upon sight on no incoming customers she took her bandana and threw it onto the counter before coming onto the customer side of the ramen stand and sitting next to Naruto.

"Whats wrong?" she asked with a sigh as she wiped her hand over her forehead and adjusted her hair.

Naruto stayed silent for a moment as he spun a chopstick in his single bowl of ramen. "That obvious eh?" he said slowly.

Ayame straightened her chef's outfit before saying, "Well Naruto I have known you the majority of my life, you are like family to me. I think I should be able to tell when something is wrong with you. Besides, you haven't even touched your ramen." she said with a grin as she rested an elbow on the counter, and leaned on it while looking at Naruto. To be honest it was rather unladylike, however Naruto always knew she was a bit of a tomboy.

Naruto averted his gaze from her and asked, "So where is Teuchi-san?" he asked quickly, before he felt slender hands gasp his jaw. He was then pull back to look Ayame in the eyes and she shook her head.

"Don't try and avoid the question Naruto, whats wrong?" she asked with a frown.

Naruto opened and closed his mouth a couple times. He didn't want to involve Ayame in ninja affairs. Particularly since the majority of them consisted of secrets. In fact, as he thought more about it, he realized that they were all secrets. Yet he was saved as he heard a voice from behind him.

"It is just some ninja business." came the voice of a female from behind the duo that came up to the counter. "You must be Ayame?" the woman asked with a smile. Yet something about the smile set Ayame on edge, and she couldn't place exactly why.

"Hey Mei-chan." Naruto said slowly as he stirred his ramen in his bowl, still refusing to eat. He had too much on his mind to really be hungry. He hoped that the environment may have helped calm him, but it only gave him more time to think.

Mei gave a smile as she walked up to the counter and sat beside Naruto, before turning to Ayame. "Could you give us a moment please?" she asked with a raised eyebrow to the young chef.

This perked Naruto up slightly, and made him turn towards the woman. It also appeared that Mei's request was one that Ayame didn't particularly like. Yet none the less she stood up and straightened her apron before going into the back of the shop, out of ear shot.

"So Naruto what have you been up to the past few days?" She asked in an even tone.

Naruto scoffed and thought '_The only thing I have been doing the past few days is thinking.' _"Nothing much... where were you? I thought that you just got up and left after the exams were over."

The woman looked a bit amused and wrapped her arm around the boy, pulling him a bit closer to her. "And miss out on our date Naruto-kun? Not likely." she said slowly at the end until she put a finger to her lips before snapping her fingers and getting in the boy's face, "Or did you forget about our deal Naruto-kun?" she got a bit closer to his face, and their foreheads were nearly touching.

Naturally, Naruto grew quite the severe blush.

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"This is ridiculous." a young swordsman said from atop of a roof overlooking the ramen stand.

"Oh come off it kid, you are just mad that you are no longer the Mizukage's boy t-"

"I was never her toy damnit!" he yelled at the man with an eye patch.

Ao looked over to the boy with a narrowed eye, "I would advise you to be more careful whom you talk to like that. The Mizukage may tolerate you, and keep you around. However I most certainly don't, and do you know what I find absolutely ridiculous? How much you are babied by the Mizukage. The only reason you were even on her radar was because of that sword you carry on your back. Of course, you can barely carry it without getting tired..."

Chojuro grit his shark teeth at the man before him, but didn't get in a word in edgewise as Ao continued, "You were only made one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman because four of them went nuke-nin. If only your personality reflected the environment you grew up in, perhaps you would actually have some merit and be more like Kisame or Zabuza."

"Like traitors." Chojuro said stubbornly as he turned to the middle aged man.

"No like real shinobi."

Chojuro clenched his fists tightly as the middle aged man turned back to overlook the Mizukage, and Uzumaki Naruto. He wanted desperately to attack the man for his insults, and yet... he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was weak...

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Mei gave a sigh as they walked down the street. Her plan was finally at a close, and nothing could go wrong. She had played Konoha like a musician played an instrument. Every action, whether predetermined or not had lined up perfectly, and allowed her to carry out her plan without resistance. Ever since the very beginning, she had her plan thought out.

Naruto, the young boy whom never had anyone would cling to her after her minor gesture of good will. She would be there for him when no one else was, take up all of his time. She made it so the boy couldn't literally go home to sleep without him having thoughts about her, and their training.

After obtaining the boy's trust, which wasn't hard, she moved on to isolate him. To make him the black sheep of a white flock. Of course, this was already the case in the village, but she needed their opinions solidified.

It didn't take much at first. Just walking around with the boy a bit in town. It really wouldn't mean anything to the people until the exams, but it was subtle and it grabbed their attention. After all... she was an attractive women, and she knew this. Add to the fact that the boy naturally grabbed the attention of the villagers, she knew by the time the finals came along, people would know of her. Little did they know that these little actions were a series of time bombs just waiting to explode in their heads.

The boy had a unique situation that most people didn't want to involve themselves in. He was ostracized by everyone, so out of the few people whom cared enough to be genuinely curious about the boy's well being? Did they really want to be the sole reason to chase off a woman that may very well just be showing genuine kindness to the boy? To be the sole reason that the boy may end up alone in life once again? To have that guilt on their shoulders? Of course not.

So she slid by to the finals effectively hiding within Naruto's shadow. Then once the finals came? Boom.

Those time bombs exploded in everyone's heads. Not only was it revealed that she was the Mizukage, but it was revealed that Naruto was willingly hanging out with the said Mizukage. Of course the boy didn't know this. However in the eyes of the people, it is not about what you know, but more importantly, what they expect you to know.

This action not only created distrust towards Mei, but distrust towards Naruto, and a reason to dislike Naruto even more. It created isolation, and people shinobi would eventually become weary around the boy. As the Sandaime effectively was able to show once Naruto won the exams.

Mei wanted to laugh a bit at the thought of the Sandaime, and this invasion that had served to work completely in her favor. She had originally thought that she would have to spend a good few extra months in Konoha to extract the jinchuriki. However the invasion jump started her plans, and made them completely fool proof.

The Sandaime, unknown to her at the time, was backed into a corner. He was the definition of a rock in a hard place. Even his title the God of Shinobi couldn't help him in his current situation. She knew she put herself at risk, putting herself out in the open like she did. Publicly clinging and kissing Naruto in the exams. It painted her as a threat. Yet it all worked out in the end.

The most obvious ways of dealing with her would have been A: to kill her, or B: to tell Naruto to back off and no longer see her. Yet both of these would have been ineffective, before and after she found out about the invasion.

The Sandaime couldn't even hope to tell Naruto to back off as many had seen on the chunin exam floor during the brief reward ceremony. How would anyone feel if they were forced to live a life of virtual isolation from most forms of human contact? Companionship? She had asserted herself in the boy's life as not only his friend, his teacher, but his potential lover. She not only pushed him to succeed, but helped him succeed. No one, no matter who it was, would get in the boy's way when it came to her. In fact if the boy was told not to see her, she could guarantee that that is exactly what the boy would try and do. She had gotten the boy to care for her deeply. In fact she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of attachment to the boy after so much contact over the course of the month.

Yet that was something she would never admit.

Then came the other option? To kill her? Fat chance was the first thought that came to her mind. Yet through a greater analysis of the situation. What would it say about a village that had a Kage killed within their walls attempting to go to a political ceremony?

Well naturally if that were to happen, ignoring all of the concepts of them losing business, people fleeing the village in fear of war, trade routes being cut off with other countries, and never being able to hold an alliance with another village again... Well that was quite the list anyways.

However lets move onto the situation that was truly at hand. It was revealed that the Sand and Sound villages both tried to invade Konoha. This much was certain. Now trying to kill her, or in fact killing her after this invasion would serve them no good. They would be stuck in a world of war, with no allies, weak, with now yet another enemy.

Imagine it. Konoha, weak after an initial invasion only forced to play the defensive as the combined forces of Sound, Sand, and Mist were at their door step. She amused herself with the fact that Iwa would probably join in on the destruction, which would surely overpower Konoha with ease. Kumo would likely just sit back and rest in their cradle of power that they would gain as all of the villages fought amongst each other destroying Konoha.

Yep... it was definitely a grim situation for the Sandaime. Even down to the final moments. The God of Shinobi was physically skilled, and she could see him holding off the former Hokages and his former student all on his own. All she had to do was run interference and move in and out of the battle until there was a dead lock, and a dead lock there was.

This dead lock not only allowed her to gain some quick control over the Sandaime, and through him, control over Naruto and some power for the Hidden Mist village. On top of that, she rid the world of a dirty missing ninja that was formerly part of a group that her traitorous swordsman joined. Yes, things definitely worked out okay.

Now all she had to do was to convince the boy to go with her, and the Mist would climb to power. Utilizing two jinchuriki, and finding a host for the sanbi, they would quickly rise to being one of the most powerful shinobi nations.

Yes it all came down to Naruto.

XXXXX

XXXXX

"Isn't the guy supposed to pay for the date?" Naruto asked as he embarrassingly rubbed the back of his head. Mei had dragged him to a sushi restaurant which he couldn't complain about. The place had always looked nice when he past by it. However he felt there were better ways to spend his money. Like Kunai repairs? Those were always nice.

"Not when the woman you are on a date with is filthy rich." Mei said with a charming smile as the sat across from each other in a booth in the back room. Mei had requested that the two receive some privacy. Naturally, what a Kage wanted, a Kage usually got. Regardless of which village they were in. At least when it came to civilians.

Naruto pursed his lips at that. Despite his physical pain, spending time with Mei was relaxing. There wasn't anything being said between the two, and Naruto was getting more and more embarrassed. It was his first date after all. Was he supposed to lead the conversation?

Naruto opened his mouth just slightly before pausing a few seconds then saying, "This is... nice." he said slowly. He didn't really know how to describe it and frankly it came out rather lame when he said it.

"What do you mean?" Mei questioned from the other side of the small table.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, he wasn't exactly sure at the time when he said it. He merely spoke his mind. "I don't know how to explain it, just this... this is nice."

"The date?" Mei asked with an amused smile. She remembered her first date. During the times of the Bloody Mist, and the majority of the women being battle scarred. Her bloodlines allowing her to virtually melt anyone whom opposed her kept her beauty in tact, and as such made her one of the most beautiful women in the village. So men of all ages were asking her out not only for her looks, but for her power. Her first date was with oddly enough one of her former swordsman. At least before they went nuke-nin. Things were so much simpler back then.

Naruto gave a small chuckle which brought Mei from her thoughts which made her look at him curiously. "The date is nice..." he began before pausing, "But I was honestly just talking about the company. I don't really have anyone that can or would willingly spend time with me just... well... to do so really..."

A quick pang of guilt shot through Mei as she thought of her less then noble actions with the situation at hand, but continued on none the less. "Well perhaps... you would be interested in coming with me then Naruto?"

Naruto's head shot up quickly and he looked at her with a questioning glance.

"Well I mean we have spent a lot of time together Naruto, and I can see how depressed you get here. Why not come with me, at least then you will have someone to spend time with..."

Naruto opened and closed his mouth before looking off to the side taking a deep breath, "Mei... I..." he couldn't really think of what to say.

Mei however tensed as she saw Naruto turn away. '_He can't literally be thinking of not coming with me... can he?'_

"Naruto I realize that this request may be a lot to take in, but I am leaving today, and I really care about you." Mei said calmly thinking quickly on her feet. She reached her hand across the table and gently placed it over Naruto's.

The action made Naruto get a bit pink in the cheeks but he continued to look away not sure of what to really do. Continue chasing his dream? Or chase happiness?

"I don't know about you Naruto..." Mei said slowly picking and choosing her words as if she was playing a game of chess. "But I really like you. Even though you may feel I am too old for you." Mei said as she backed the boy into a corner.

_'He wouldn't even dare saying I'm too old for him.'_ she thought in amusement, and sure enough, he didn't.

"No. No! That isn't it. It is just that, I don't know, I always wanted to become Hokage you know? I don't want to give up on my dream..." he said with a frown as he finally made eye contact with the woman whom had been with him through thick and thin the past month.

Mei softened her gaze as she stood up, which earned her a fearful glance from Naruto. The boy likely thought she was leaving. However she was quick to move and slide into the booth next to him and gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Well Naruto I can tell you aren't happy here, in this village, but are you happy with me?" it was a rhetorical question. He had given her his answer not even moments before. Still, his nod of recognition to her statement would only help her situation. Reassuring the boy that he is in fact happy being with her.

"Then Naruto let me ask you... is it really worth it to chase your dream... if you are doomed to be miserable and alone when you get there?" Mei gave an internal wince as she thought over her words. _'Way to lay on the web of Despair Mei...'_ She thought to herself bitterly. "You could be with me Naruto." she said as she kissed the top of his head. The boy's muscles seemed to relax under her arm, and his body gently learned into hers. She held back a mild surprise.

_'He agrees with me?'_

_XXXXXXX_

_XXXXXXXX  
_

"Naruto this is Ao, and Chojuro as I am sure you have already met." Mei said as she walked briskly with her hand in Naruto's. Ao had been able to scout out a gate where a couple guards were asleep on the job. However it did set the more experienced shinobi in the group on edge, and their pace increased. The looks on the sleeping shinobi's faces was that of a more forced sleep than a relaxed one, similar to that of a genjutsu.

"Mei isn't this a little fast? I'm really not allowed to say goodbye to anyone? Do we really have to leave right now? I mean where would I even stay when we get there?" Naruto asked in a flurry of questions as he was dragged along at a quick pace by the woman. They didn't particularly want to use chakra if they didn't have to in order to escape the village. Even if that meant jumping from tree to tree.

Some of the more precise sensor ninja in the world could pick up even the faintest amount of chakra use from the farthest distances. Mei knew this was a fact, because Ao was one of them. It was actually safe to get a few miles out of the village on foot, and only choose to run should someone actually pursue them. Otherwise the only way for them to really get caught is by someone actively tracking or looking for them. The later is unlikely seeing as how they just left.

Mei continued walking telling Naruto, "No Naruto, I am a Kage after all, I do need to get back to my village. People are counting on me, and no I'm sorry Naruto. If you don't come with me now, you likely will never be able to. As for where would you stay?" She pulled the boy a bit closer to her as they walked, "With me of course, where else would you stay?"

Chojuro grit his teeth and clenched his hands as he walked beside the Mizukage, whom did her best to appear oblivious to this action. Ao on the other hand whom was walking beside Naruto scoffed. "I'd love to see what _he_ th-"

He was cut off quickly be a deathly glare from the Mizukage whom completely stopped moving and said, "Ao? Do you have something you would like to say? I don't believe I heard you because I was talking to _Naruto_." she said sharply as she stared at the man, daring him to repeat what he was about to say.

Ao gulped and quickly averted his gaze saying, "I believe we should continue, I want to get home." he said as he took a few steps ahead of the group.

The Mizukage glared at the middle aged man's back before quickly softening her features and looking down to Naruto with a smile. "Come on Naruto, I just thought Ao said something."

Naruto stared up at her weakly. He had heard what Ao had begun saying and could only wonder whom the "he" was that Mei had to force the man to stop talking about.

After a minute or so of walking Mei excused herself briefly and walked up and fell in step with Ao, presumably to talk to the man about whatever he was going to say earlier. This left Naruto alone in a tense silence with Chojuro.

"So..." Naruto began doing his best to break the silence as he walked next to the boy whom didn't appear to be that old. "How do you know the Mizukage to warrant you being her personal bodyguard?"

Chojuro looked a bit annoyed at being asked a question from the blonde next to him and took a deep breath. "We were close." He said with a bit of bitter as he thought back to when he himself was in a similar situation to the boy next to him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that and sized up the boy next to him. He appeared to be perhaps a couple years older then him, despite his extremely youthful appearance. However then again he wasn't the only shinobi from the Mist that looked quite young... It only served to make him wonder just how close the two were before he came along.

"Oh really? Like what was your relationship with her then?"

The boy didn't get the chance to respond as both Ao and the Mizukage jumped behind them in an instant, and a deep calm voice resonated behind them.

"Puppet? Toy? Tool? Sasori would get a kick out of you... Mei Terumi."

Everyone was instantly tense, and Chojuro and Naruto both spun around to come face to face with two shinobi in black cloaks with red clouds on them.

"And I would know that voice anywhere... Hoshigaki Kisame." Mei said with narrowed eyes. "Naruto launch a water dragon high into the sky." She said quickly as her shinobi shifted so they surrounded Naruto.

Naruto was wide eyed and had no idea what was going on, but by the fact that everyone got on the defensive, the earlier comments from the shinobi fled his mind and he was quick to form a water dragon. Or at least... attempt to.

The water rippled heavily, and bulged in all directions, but there was no dragon.

"Naruto what are you doing!" Mei asked harshly without taking her eyes off of the two shinobi in front of her.

"Mei, the other one under the hat is Uchiha Itachi, S-class criminal from the leaf."

Naruto froze momentarily at the name Uchiha, but quickly got to trying again and again to utilize the water dragon but to no avail. His chakra control was completely shot. He couldn't even create a water dragon. The revelation only served to make his body go cold. All of his hard work? Did the woman with the golden eyes truly ruin it all for him?

"Damnit!" Mei cursed. In situations like these every second counted. "Chojuro, dragon now!"

A water dragon had launched high into the sky and much to Kisame's amusement.

"You seem to be as great of a teacher as ever Mei." He said as he peered through the group and stared directly at Naruto. "I'm afraid I can't let you have this toy however. You see, we need the nine tails and I am not against using force to take him."

"Kisame..." came the calm voice of Uchiha Itachi, whom took off his hat and let it fall to the side. "I am not in the mood of dragging this battle out, we are getting the nine tails and leaving. Konoha shinobi are probably already on our tails anyways due to that encounter at the shop."

Kisame grinned and heaved his blade off of his back.

"Ao hold off Itachi. Chojuro, help me take down Kisame. Naruto..." she stared at the boy briefly, "don't do anything that would get you killed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXOnly really highlighting Kisame's battle XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mei rushed in followed by Chojuro. They already had preset tactics in mind of what they were going to do to combat their greatest nuke-nin. The problem was that as much as she hated to admit it. Kisame was an extremely powerful shinobi, far more powerful than he lead anyone on to believe. However after growing to know him on a more personal level... she had to come to terms with one thing. He was stronger then her.

She charged up going for a sliding kick, an attack that would leave most swordsman open in a typical two on one fight. However Kisame, staying true to the title of the greatest of the seven shinobi swordsman jumped over her kick just in time.

Mei attempted to follow up by springing up from her slide to release a justu at the man's back. Yet all she received was a heavy kick to the gut from Kisame. Although he was not one to forget about his other opponents. As Mei was sent flying Chojuro was charging in, giant blade raised over his head coming down on the shark man. Yet, the man was truly a demon.

He spun around quickly, his giant sword blocking, and nearly parrying Chojuro's attack. Yet the boy stayed strong forcing the two into a dead lock.

"Ohhh Chojuro-chan, when did you get so strong?" he taunted wish amusement as he back handed the boy sending him stumbling back, only for him to charge back in.

"Like I would tell you traitor!" he said in fury, his sword changing into a giant hammer swinging down, that would of flattened Kisame. That is if the boy was able to get close to the man. A shark launched out of the water barreling into the young swordsman, sending him flying.

Kisame was quick to realize there was a thick mist appearing behind him, and turned to Mei with a grin. "Oh Terumi? Do better than that. As if that boy would ever even come close to knocking my into that mist before I noticed it without your help."

With a single swipe of his sword, while the bandages quickly burned off, there was no longer any mist within a good ten feet of where he swiped his blade. "The chakra however is a nice meal. Attempting to make up for all of the real dates we never went on?" he said in amusement as Chojuro was up once again.

The boy once again charged at the man, much to his annoyance. The boy leaped at Kisame, whom merely side stepped it and caught the boy by the head in mid air. "Do you have any idea how out of my league you are boy? You have at least three years before you could even hope to get the jump on my with that pitiful swordsmanship." He said before launching the boy against a distant tree, making him crash into it with a loud cracking sound. Something must of broken.

Mei narrowed her eyes as she saw Chojuro slide down the tree unconscious. The blade Kisame wielded virtually destroyed half of her jutsu arsenal, and the main source of her tactics. "I am surprised you still cling to those boys Mei. I will still always consider them second place to me." He said with a shark toothed grin.

The woman clenched her fists as she prayed silently that back up would be coming. Ao was virtually playing dodge ball with the Uchiha's advanced taijutsu, and Chojuro was out of commission. They were out classed as much as she hated to admit it. Why couldn't it have been Raiga? Or Zabuza that she encountered? Then the battle perhaps would of been fair.

Naruto watched the fight from the side lines, trying his best to figure out any way to be of use. He couldn't even walk on the water they were standing on with his current chakra control. He could only sit by and watch as Mei could very well get destroyed by the man in front of her, and yet... he didn't know what to feel. Since he wasn't actually fighting, it gave him all of the time in the world to observe. Puppets, tools, toys? Was that what he was to Mei? A toy?

"What changed you Kisame?" Mei asked slowly, trying her best to stall for time. She didn't even have this much trouble during her battle alongside the Hokage.

Kisame scoffed, "This?" he asked motioned to his gills.

Mei sighed, "Not your face Kisame... who you are..." she finished sadly.

Kisame smirked and hefted up Samehada before walking over to Mei, "War changes everyone Mei. I think you should know that better then anyone. Miss Master Tactician? Manipulator of Men?"

Mei flinched at a couple of the many titles she earned during the civil wars the plagued the Mist. She couldn't even bring herself to even fight back in the one sided up hill battle that was Kisame. Kisame Hooked his blade under the woman's throat, yet careful so the serrated blades didn't rip her open. He then lifted her up into the air by her chin. "The better question is what happened to you Mei Terumi?"

She laughed as she caught an underlying question to his statement, "I didn't want to associate myself with a demon." She said weakly as she glared down at the blue skinned man.

Kisame smirked, "And so you move onto another? You never could tame a demon Mei!" he said in a condescending tone as he took a glance at Naruto, "You never can, and you never will." He tossed the woman over his head with his blade. She flew through the air for several seconds, trying to right herself. However she couldn't.

Luckily for her, Naruto had found where he could be useful, and rushed over catching her before she hit the hard cement of the bridge. Kisame grinned at this action, and jumped up onto the bridge. "Oh she has you trained at least to catch her when she falls. I bet she has you wrapped around her finger, telling you how you will be together? Yeah Look how well that turned out for Chojuro over there." Kisame said with a grin as he looked down at Naruto before hefting his sword over his head.

Naruto looked with wide eyed at that revelation, but the comment that followed after hit Naruto at the core.

"Yet she always neglects to mention Uzumaki. Did she tell you about her husband back home?" he said with a laugh as he came to swing his sword down.

Naruto however paid no attention to the blade at this point, long since stopped caring. He stared at the woman in his arms whom absolutely refused to meet his gaze. They say that one of the most painful things in life is the truth? It what what he was seeing right now?

"Kisame." Itachi called calmly from the side. "I said I wanted this over quickly, are you quite done?"

Kisame backed down from his partner and took a step back. "Alright, fine. Carry on."

Itachi rolled his eyes in annoyance, before grabbing Naruto's jaw, "Mizukage-sama, do well to remember that even the best laid _plans_ of _mice and men_ often go awry..." he said before making direct eye contact with Naruto.

XXXXXXX

XXXXXXX

Itachi appeared next to Naruto in the boy's mind, however he was instantly able to tell something was wrong. Typically in one's mind, you feel weightless, almost similar to your own mind. Yet inside Naruto's mind, he felt heavy... weighed down. It was as if some sort of gravity was forcing him down.

Yet the most important thing to note was he knew he wasn't in control. Yet apparently from Naruto's extremely confused expression, the boy didn't even know where they were.

Itachi had little fear of the Kyuubi, he had long since learn of the Sharingan's way to at least stop the beast from attacking him inside the nine tailed Jinchuriki's mind. Another Uchiha had taught him that. Yet he knew that something... he couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off.

"What is this place?" Naruto asked in confusion as he heard the oddest sound coming down the sewer corridors. It honestly sounded like singing, but he felt sort of crazy assuming such.

Itachi turned to Naruto unsure of whether he should continue playing the role that was laid out for him in life, the role of a criminal, or just genuinely assist the boy since this strange occurrence had them both trapped here. He opted on the later as he closed his eyes slowly and opened them, "We are in your mind."

Naruto looked surprised by this, "Ehh? My mind is a dump!" Naruto yelled in frustration.

Itachi looked around distastefully, "I've noticed Uzumaki. Follow me."

"Wait what? Hell no! Why the hell should I trust you, you were just trying to kill me!" Naruto yelled in frustration as he walked the other way that Itachi had gone off in. That was until he was caught by the back of his neck and hoisted above the ground so he couldn't move.

Itachi sighed as the kid thrashed and kicked around. He never intended on using this ability on Uzumaki Naruto again after realizing how damn frustrating it would be. 72 hours trapped in a sewer... definitely not what he intended to do initially.

He turned quickly down a corridor and tossed Naruto out in front of him before drawing a kunai and motioning the boy to continue walking forward, telling him to follow the noise. Whatever it was... it was almost like singing. Yet he couldn't put his hands on exactly what was being said.

After going down corridor after corridor of this seemingly giant maze of a sewer, they had found just what was making the noise. Before him was a sight Itachi knew he would never forget.

He pushed Naruto up closer to the giant cage in front of them. Itachi had expected a giant red beast in front of them. Yet what he didn't expect was a woman sitting in a chair made of red flaming wisps of chakra. She had fiery red had that was flowing in the air without a breeze, as if it naturally did that. She was naked, yet red wisps flew around her constantly, covering anything and everything that could account for the woman being a human female. However there was one thing that really stood out with her, besides the fact that it was her singing.

She did have one single article of clothing that was clearly visible. A single ruby red, six inch high heel that was currently pressing quite painfully into a woman laying under her foot. She too had red hair, and Itachi had almost not recognized the woman, it had in fact at least been eleven years. Yet there was no doubt about it. The woman with a six in heel being painfully pressed into her spinal column was none other than Uzumaki Kushina. However he doubted Naruto could make any sense of the situation before him, because frankly, even Itachi couldn't.

Okay perhaps a Kyuubi in human form? Alright maybe. A soul trapped inside of the seal that the Kyuubi was torturing? Okay that was a stretch, but he wasn't going to insult the seal work of Namikaze Minato. However the giant one tailed beast sitting behind the two peering down, trying to wisp sand through the bars of the cage and reach Itachi and Naruto? Well he made absolutely no sense, and threw this entire picture off.

_I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, Hey yall leave the young thing alone... there ain't no sunshine when she's gone..._

Came the voice of the presumed to be Kyuubi as it pressed it's single heel into Uzumaki Kushina's back despite her gasps and cries of pain. Yet the demon just kept on singing the song. At least until Naruto interrupted.

"What the..." he said as he walked up closer to the seal and officially gathered the attention of everyone in the cell.

"I was wondering when I would meet my surprisingly interesting, and moderately amusing, and utterly stupid container." came the voice of the Kyuubi as the chair she was sitting on vanished, and she stood up, heel still in the fallen woman's back.

"Kyuubi..." Naruto said with narrowed eyes as he peering at the woman through the bars.

"Ding ding ding Naruto-chan. Would you like a reward? Release me and I will give you one."

Naruto grit his teeth at the taunt, "Fuck you." he said bitterly as he looked at the beast that was formerly the source of all his problems.

"Sounds lovely, I've been kept in a cage constantly for nearly 40 years come in the cage and we can work something out."

"Don't Naruto." Itachi said from a distance, refusing to get any closer.

Kyuubi stared out and scoffed before saying, "Chibi-chiha come closer, let me see that face of yours." She said slightly violently as red chakra rushed out of the cage after Itachi, chasing him a good hundred yards backwards before stopping at a maximum distance similar to a Nara shadow.

Naruto seemed surprised by this and realized that either the fox could kill him from inside the seal, but wasn't doing it because it needed him for something. Or the fox couldn't harm him when he is outside of the cage. However neither were theories he was particularly interested in testing.

"So What do you say Naruto-chan? Fancy letting me help you get over your lady problems in the real world?" The Kyuubi said with a sinister smile.

Naruto grit his teeth and was about to spit back a reply, until he heard a voice from under the Kyuubi.

"Naruto don't listen to her." it said weakly making Naruto's eyes go wide. He got a bit closer to the cage and shift from where he was standing to see whom said that. Yet the moment he laid eyes on her he was able to tell. All of the things he read about her? All of the things he heard about her? There was no doubt. Red hair, violet eyes? It was his mother.

The demon only opted to confirm it by yanking Kushina up by her hair which caused the woman to yelp in pain. Her eyes looked almost defeated, like she had been experiencing this treatment for days. "Now now Kushina-chan" Kyuubi said in a condescending tone as she banged the woman's head roughly against the bars of the cage a couple times, splitting her head open. "Now what did I tell you... About talking when I didn't give you permission!" The Kyuubi yelled at the end slamming the woman's face against the pipes before letting her slide to the floor in a heap.

Naruto charged up to the cage, completely throwing any caution to the wind. He rushed up to his fallen mother and grabbed her hands that had landed outside of the bars and moved to drag her out of the cage.

The Kyuubi saw this and merely laughed before stabbing her six in heel in Kushina's back, piercing the flesh. "Alright Naruto pull! pull pull pull!" Kyuubi chant banging her hands against the cage.

Naruto ignored her chanting, and pulled his mother not wanting his mother to ever have to go through that again, even if he never knew her.

"Naruto you almost got her!" The Kyuubi continued, "Every pull you do only cuts my shoe into her back some more, but you almost got her!" she continued yelling.

Naruto grit his teeth and gave one final tug which caused a heavy slash to go down the small of her back, and down her bum before she was fully pulled out of the cage.

Naruto cradled his mother for only a few moments outside of the cage before the Kyuubi suddenly spoke, "Alright Naruto-chan, playtime is over." She said suddenly as red chakra made hands rushed out of the cage and snatched Kushina dragging her back into the cage. "Now now Kushina-chan. I can't have you die on me now." The Kyuubi cooed as she stoked the woman's cheek and red chakra seeped off her body, flowing onto the fallen woman and healing her wounds. Once they were healed in no time as all, Kyuubi put her heel back in the woman's back.

"Right... now where were we Naruto-kun. Oh right, you were going to free me?" She said with a toothy grin. Naruto could even hear the chuckling of the one tailed in the back of the cage. Apparently he was finding the show rather amusing.

"Don't Naruto..." moaned out Kushina in pain.

Naruto looked down at his mouth and pursed his lip. Most people would find it incomprehensible just how badly he wanted to rip this seal off.

The Kyuubi looked down at Kushina and gave a bark of a laugh, "Kushina? Do you really want another lesson so badly? I will be happy to give you one after your son leaves!" she said pressing her heel harshly into the woman's back.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore and slammed his body up against the cage and punched through hitting the Kyuubi in the jaw before retracting his fist from the cage. He stood not even inches from the Kyuubi whom had a smirk on her face.

A deep rumble from the back of the cage gave a laugh saying, "You have balls Uzumaki..."

Naruto grinned at that comment and looked at the Kyuubi with a single raised eyebrow.

She sneered at the boy and adjusted her jaw as it rapidly healed. She then pressed her body up to the very edge of the cage, until an invisible barrier that seemingly was in line with the bars kept her from walking out.

Naruto got in her face and said, "I am going to find a way to kill you for what you are doing to her." he said as he and the Kyuubi were pressed chest to chest, yet neither could step across the border for various reasons.

"Come in, settle it now, I promise I don't bite... hard." She said teasingly as she licked her lips showing her sharp fangs.

"The last thing that I'll ever do is take off that seal and let you be free." Naruto said, at just a whisper which only Kyuubi could of heard due to their distance.

However she knew the could play that game. She pressed up against Naruto and tilted her head to the side before saying, "Fine..." her hot breath tickling his face, "I can stand with torturing your mother until you return." she said as she looked the boy before her in the eyes.

"You can't win Uzumaki." She said with grin as she took a step back and grabbed Kushina by the neck, and pressed the woman's back to her chest. "I will be free... eventually."

Naruto clenched his hands around the bars unconsciously drawing on some of the Kyuubi's own chakra as his eyes flickered red looking at the woman's form.

"Shukaku." Kyuubi called out over her shoulder. "Do please see our guests out, the real world is waiting for them!" she finished with a yell as she turned around.

"With pleasure." came a grumble from the cage.

The last thing Naruto saw before he was thrusted out of his mind was his mother mouthing the words "_I love you." _to him.

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Can you see it? Totally disappointed with Mei's fight with Kisame. I kept trying to write it, but I didn't really know how I wanted her to fight. Then Kisame is just ridiculous, and I have mentioned in previous chapters that sometimes characters are just outclassed by other characters. For example I feel that Mei could just stomp the First Hokage in a battle, between her lava and corrosive mist burning away any trees. However I feel Kisame could utterly stomp Mei by taking all of the chakra out of the Mist, and being just a general oppressive power house.

Anyways very frustrating. That being said, I really loved the parts before their battle, and then Kyuubi's introduction. If anyone knows me, they know I am a big fan of making Kyuubi very manipulative, almost demi-godlike, and uncaring. So she is always fun to write.

The mechanics of the seal will be revealed more as the story goes on. For example Why can Kyuubi actually overpower Kushina in Naruto's mind at the moment? Where as in the Manga she just stomps the Kyuubi.

Again I am shaky on the Mei scene, but over all I really wanted to show which characters will be expanded on in this story through this chapter. I believe quite obviously Kisame is one them that I will mention out of everyone else. However everyone that was mentioned in this chapter will be developed a bit.

Literally want to pull my hair out right now with Mei's fight as I write this. So who knows how you will all react to it. Mei had claims of being borderline Mary Sue. I definitely agree. However, see what Itachi said to her. I really wanted to show that this chapter, and show you guys that the Mei you have been seeing is pretty much one half of a coin. I tried to show you the other half of a coin through Kisame's brief lines about her.

Then finally, I hope I was at least able to surprise you a bit this chapter at every turn. Whether it be Mei having a husband. Kyuubi abusing Kushina. Kisame and Mei's pasts being quite connected.

So all in all, I am disappointed with Mei. I didn't really make her fight back against Kisame and looking back on it, I don't know exactly why. Initially I felt like giving them a Sasuke vs Naruto feel to it where "Naruto"(Mei) is just unwilling to fight or do harm to Sasuke(Kisame) because of the past they share and the fact that Mei somewhere deep down cares about him. This is in contrast to "Sasuke"(Kisame) whom realizes the situation, and their past, but has also moved of past it because he has other things on his mind and doesn't want to get caught up in the past.

**Anyways when you review this chapter tell me if you liked it or not. "Great chapter Update Soon" is nice, but if there was really any chapter you would give an honest review with criticism and nit picking? I'd want it to be this one. I feel that I should go back and rewrite a few parts in it to be honest**.

Also I sort of screwed up a bit in a certain area so the next chapter may take a bit longer to post as I try to figure out a way to redeem the situation.


	9. Why Do You Keep Your Word?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A few reviews actually made me rewrite this chapter. I was originally going to do a whole bit about what was going on in Konoha and with Sarutobi. However I thought one person's idea of not really directly going through how things were changing for people, but actually just go back and let you see how things changed, and not really show you how they got there. It wont be anything too drastic, but I have some pretty cool ideas for a few of the more minor characters in the series, something that I think you all may like. So again, sorry no Sarutobi this chapter. I will try and work him in a bit sooner though.

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Itachi let go of Naruto's jaw the moment they got out of the seal together, and there was truly only one thing that could be noted about the situation. That wasn't how his genjutsu was supposed to work.

Kisame raised an eyebrow at his partner before turning back to the boy at their feet. He could sure the pure anger in his eyes at a primal level. Sure it was mixed with confusion and other emotions. Yet most noticeably it was anger. "Itachi, are you going soft? This doesn't look like a boy whom just went through 72 hours of torture." he said with a shark toothed grin towards his partner. However he quickly changed his expression as he saw the seriousness and questioning yet calculating glance he was sending toward the boy on the ground.

"Kisame, we are leaving, and take care of the Mizukage. It would be better that we are kept a secret from the shinobi world as long as possible." Itachi said as he straightened him self and went to grab his hat.

"Your joking right? We come all of this way to Konoha, and have the jinchuriki at our feet, and you want to leave?" Kisame questioned his partner incredulously.

Itachi situated the hat on his head, "There are... unforeseen circumstances Kisame. We are leaving." Itachi said firmly as he gazed at his partner with sharingan eyes.

Kisame gave a light scoff at his partner before smirking, "Alright if you say so." He said as he put his sword onto his back, an action which gained him a look from Itachi.

Kisame looked down at Mei doing his best to hide a frown, but out of the corner of his eye saw Itachi draw a blade and walk closer. As Itachi got within striking distance of the Mizukage next to Kisame, Kisame put a hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. "Let her live."

Itachi looked almost surprised by Kisame's action, but did a good job of hiding it. "You do realize no one is supposed to know of us right? It is bad enough Jiraiya and Orochimaru both know so much already."

Kisame shrugged and said, "I wont fight you on this, just know that if you kill her, expect me to show you the same respect when we undoubtedly encounter your younger brother Itachi."

All the while the banter between the two was going on Naruto continued to look down at the woman in his arms. She wasn't unconscious, she wasn't dead. Yet it was like she wasn't here. It looked almost like the "Information Overload" as Naruto liked to call it. He remembered it quite well after one of Iruka's particularly boring lectures about shinobi arranged marriages. He knew there was no way he would go through with one of those, so he really didn't care. The problem was there was going to be a test on it, so he had to listen. Of course this didn't change the fact that he got about two or three questions right out of fifteen.

Itachi froze at what Kisame had said and quickly retracted his kunai. The two of them had both became quite good friends over the time they had been working together, and they both realized that there were just lines you didn't cross. One of these lines were hurting those that they care for. Itachi at the start of their partnership had made it quite clear that his brother was not to be touched if they ever encountered him. Yet Itachi had never seen this side of Kisame, a side that actually... gave a damn about people. They had traveled the shinobi nations, and had witnessed Kisame kill of one of his former teammates, former swordsman. A brother in arms. He had long since thought the man had engraved his favorite phrase of "The weak are meat, and the strong eat." into his head. Yet this woman Kisame was practically forcing him to spare?

Itachi knew he he was stronger than the demon shark. However he was probably one of the very few in the world that were. The only way he was able to beat the man was excessive layers after layers of genjutsu while using as little chakra as possible. They both knew this, and so Kisame had taken after listening to Itachi. However this did not mean that the man was weak by any stretch of the imagination, in fact, Itachi knew quite well that he was nearly completely outclassed in every other form of combat against the man. Itachi resisted the urge to laugh at the seemingly ongoing theme in their organization to pair up one shinobi that completely relied on utter brute force to win battles, and put him with someone whom was more delicate and tactical during battle.

However he knew he was side tracking himself, and realized that Konoha shinobi could be on them at any minute, and that was something they particularly didn't want. So he righted himself and gave his partner a nod, "Fine, we can spare her. It appears that she is brain dead anyways." Itachi said as he looked down at the woman whom looked like she had a heavy case of post traumatic stress disorder. Itachi then quickly vanished, not liking the prospect of fighting any more than he had to.

Kisame grinned and reached down towards Mei with a couple blue skinned fingers towards her face. Yet before he was able to reach the woman, Naruto quickly grabbed his fingers. This action got the first actual visible response from Mei in minutes, which was merely her turning her head to Naruto with surprise in her eyes.

Kisame gave a toothy grin and yanked his fingers from the boy's grip, "Heh... still protect her? You will learn eventually."

Naruto grit his teeth at Kisame's comment. However before he could respond in any way, the Kisame before them melted quickly into a puddle of water, leaving them alone in silence.

Mei had her head in Naruto's lap and she looked up searching for words in her head to try and explain her actions, but Naruto saw this coming. "Mei don't start." he said with a bit of frustration as he rolled his eyes before looking away.

Mei had guilt all over her face as she replayed everything that was brought to the surface in the past encounter. All of the lies, all of her past betrayals, her manipulations.

"I think you should gather your shinobi before Konoha comes." Naruto said as he rather roughly shoved the woman off of his lap. Mei righted herself and did her best to suppress her thoughts and think clearly. She despite all of her past actions and... problems being brought to light. She wanted nothing more than to salvage the situation, and not allow the entire month to go to waste.

"Naruto you wont come with me then?" she originally under circumstances before today perhaps would of pouted, or pulled the boy close to her for a hug, and yet she knew her previous actions that she used to get the boy would no longer work.

Naruto gave an amused snort as looked at the woman. "Mei look..." he began as he rolled his eyes not going to give her his eye contact. "I care about you, and honestly you are still probably the closest person in my life. You gave me a chance that no one else gave me, so for that I care about you. However... you were going to use me."

Mei despite the years she had manipulated people, sure she had been nearly caught in the past. However there was nothing she couldn't work around and get out of with her beauty, charm, and intelligence. "Then fine you are right Naruto-kun. I used you." She said as she moved over to Ao and hefted him onto her shoulder. "I lied to you. Yet despite this have I really truly been horrible? You have told me about your life here. Despite what you found out, can you honestly say that you wouldn't have a better life in my village regardless? A better life with me?"

Naruto closed his eyes and rested his hands on his hips before shaking his head with a smile. "Yeah, because your husband would find you wanting to be with me perfectly fine right? And that is merely on the basis that you aren't lying to me again, like you supposedly lied to your bodyguard." He said as he glanced at an unconscious Chojuro sprawled at a tree across the water.

Mei bristled at the comment "Fine what do you plan to do? Just go back to a village? Be a wall flower again Naruto? I made you great in a single month. In a single month I helped you achieve total dominance of the chunin exams. I even was able to look at your seal and fix it to the best of my ability. What are you really going to go back to? A Sensei whom is more inclined to stab you in the back over another student? Why would you go back?"

"And what you didn't stab me in the back Mei?" Naruto shot back quickly.

Mei made a clone that went to go grab Chojuro while she stared at Naruto, "Fine I stabbed you in the back." she said with an arrogant stare, "I have admitted this. However at least when I stabbed you in the back I was helping you."

Naruto's breath got caught in his throat briefly at that, the truth to the statement hurt. "Fine." he said exhaling deeply. "I see where you are coming from, however I am still not going with you." Naruto said defiantly.

As Mei's clone carrying Chojuro came up, Mei walked closer to Naruto with her hand extended ever slightly. This action made Naruto tense slightly at how close she was getting to him. Contact with her, all of the kisses, the hugs. It had almost become second nature to him to allow her to... well do that to him. Even if it was now revealed to be akin to mental abuse and manipulation. He couldn't bring herself to push her away.

He felt her warm lips touch his forehead and slowly trailing kisses down his cheek as she said, "Please come with me." In between minor kisses before reaching his mouth and giving him a kiss there.

Naruto however was frozen solid, not kissing back, not moving. He at that moment didn't know what he wanted to do. '_It is possible that she could be sorry right? Maybe her husband wouldn't mind? Maybe I can live there... be happy? With her?'_ he got a warm fuzzy feeling in his gut as he thought about the implications.

"So will you come? We need to hurry..." she said quickly in a whisper towards Naruto as she took a step back to gauge what the boy was thinking. However after moments upon moments of silence Mei continued to look over her shoulder before getting frustrated. She reached out to grab the boy, and she had a feeling as to why Itachi felt so compelled to leave.

Sand burst up from the ground in an instant in a firm line between Mei and Naruto. A line they both couldn't cross. The sand in front of Naruto made him widen his eyes and her quickly darted away from Mei as fast as he could.

Mei's heart sunk to the bottom on her stomach as she watched Naruto run away. She couldn't explain it or place her finger as to what she was feeling. She just knew whatever it was that she was feeling... it hurt...

And with that she and her clones vanished.

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Naruto ran, South east for a long time. He had since lost count to tell the truth. He had been running full sprint for as long as he could, a defense mechanism if you will. Whenever he had a problem in the village, anyone didn't like him? He could run... and he got very good about it. At the time all he knew was people disliked him, and instead of wanting to confront his problems, he ran from them. He got good enough at running to even be able to evade shinobi in the village for hours after one of his pranks.

So he ran for long and hard, and he didn't know how long it was, he just knew that by the time he had stopped in this town, he could barely move his legs. Shinobi become over reliant on being able to gather chakra in their legs and feet in order to leap from tree to tree. Unfortunately Naruto didn't currently have that luxury with his current chakra control.

He had even forgotten the key reason as to why he was even running? Was it from Mei? The fact that she wanted him to go with her back to the Mist village? The idea didn't sound... terrible. However he just couldn't shake that this loyalty he felt for her, nearly compelled him to follow her... that deep down it wasn't genuine. She had lied to him a lot... manipulated him... he was unsure about a lot of things regarding Mei.

Was he running from Konoha? The shinobi that were undoubtedly on their way to the battle after the water dragon had been shot into the sky? He didn't know.

Maybe it was what he had seen inside of his seal, between his mother, the multiple tailed beast, the torture? Maybe he was just outwardly expressing his inability to adequately address his problems, and so almost as a subconscious, he ran.

Naruto didn't know, and he was shaking his head clear of thoughts. He didn't even know where he was, but he did know he was tired, and hungry. He took off his headband and put it in his pocket as he ran a hand through his hair. It had been getting a bit longer after going a month without cutting it. He had been too caught up with training with Mei...

Naruto got a sour expression as he realized that he thought process led him back to Mei. It was definitely not the happiest thoughts he could have at present time. Naruto turned quickly right into a restaurant and pulled out his small frog wallet. He had quite a decent amount of money in it, thinking that he would of had to pay for the date he had with Mei earlier...

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head violently trying to rid himself of all thoughts entirely. Everything seemingly lead back to Mei, and it was beginning to aggravate him. His mind was moving at a mile a minute, trying to think of anything that could distract him.

Yet even the most random things he thought of, like bunnies. Well in his anger, he then pictured of dead bunnies, and dead bunnies lead to what typically killed bunnies... and the first thought that came to mind was foxes.

Naruto slammed his hand violently on the counter at his current mental predicament, only to get someone calling out at him from inside the restaurant.

"Hey Kid. Keep it down, some people are trying to relax here." said a female voice.

Naruto spun around in an instant on the woman and scowled at her. All of the anger, all of the stress, all of the problems in his life... he lashed out at the woman. He got out of his chair and marched over to her booth gritting his teeth, utter rage in his eyes. "No how about you fucking keep it down, or go fucking relax somewhere else you stupid blonde." Naruto searched for a word desperately, and was only able to pull out the one word that he could think of to describe the women in his life, "You... stupid.. You stupid bitch!" he yelled this before backhanding the woman's bottle of sake onto the floor.

He didn't care that the blonde appeared furious, particularly at the bitch comment. He didn't care to try and analyze the black haired female whom show a shell shocked appearance at what was said. He didn't care about any of it. He quickly left the two women, stalking out of the restaurant, and proceeding to stalk down the street.

At least he tried to. Shortly after leaving the place, someone had picked him up by the back of the neck and lifted him a good foot and a half off of the ground. The person then proceeded to rifle his pockets, and grab his wallet. Now all of this happened in a relatively short period of time. However Naruto had the unfortunate experience of being mugged during his time in Konoha. It wasn't something he never intended to allow to happen to himself ever again.

Naruto kicked back violently, and felt his kick connect. The only real surprise was instead of a male grunt that he had expected from when the kick made contact. He looked over his shoulder quickly as the woman let go of him. It was the blonde chesty woman that was in the restaurant he was previously in. The woman he yelled at. She was currently clutching her crotch in significant pain, but even more so, her eyes were filled with rage.

So what is one to do when a woman looks like she is ready to punch your testicles so hard they would fly out your mouth? Well you run.

The problem with the situation was unforeseen circumstances. Naruto knew better then anyone over the last month that unforeseen circumstances happened all of the time. For example Mei approaching him was merely one of these circumstances. What if she never approached him? He would probably have just been an average guy in the chunin exams that may very well of gotten through it on luck, and guts. Maybe with a different skill set, he could of wrestled Shukaku into submission?

Perhaps if there were no unforeseen circumstances, he wouldn't be encountering this blonde haired woman alone?

Perhaps... if there were no unforeseen circumstances, he would of realized that this blonde haired woman whom appeared absolutely furious was more than likely one of the most physically strong shinobi in the world.

As Naruto darted around the corner, imagine his surprise when he came face to face with the blonde woman... and her fist. He could only inwardly curse as the first came flying at his face and he desperately tried to duck under it, but he knew he would be too slow.

Yet... Shukaku wouldn't be. Sand flew up right before the fist could make contact with his face.

_"Pathetic Kyuubi..."_ came the raspy voice of what could only be the one tailed demon floating in his head.

_"Now now Shukaku, do you want to be next?"_ a seductively calm yet dangerous voice followed right before a loud female cry was heard.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to block out the voices in his head, and the cry that was undoubtedly his mother.

"Tsunade-sama!" was the cry of a brunette running down the street with slightly fearful eyes.

Naruto blinked his eyes rapidly and took a deep breath finally having blocked out Shukaku and Kyuubi.

The small fight between him and the woman had attracted attention of many passing by, all the while the blonde woman merely stared at the sand that was slowly but surely falling back to the ground. The attention was quickly making Naruto uncomfortable. He initially ran so he could get away from people, so he could have time to think. Yet they all began whispering.

"Hey isn't that the kid who won the chunin exams?"

"Oh hey it is..."

"Perhaps I should thank him? That kid made me a lot of money."

"Do you think he will give me an autograph?"

Naruto took a few steps backwards trying to get distance between him and the blonde woman. Yet the events of the day started crashing down on him. The physical and mental fatigue he had received over the day was too much.

So right in the middle of the street, he succumbed to blackness. Sand rising up to catch him right before he hit the ground.

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Naruto took a deep breath as he realized he was in the one place it actually hurt for him to be. His mind.

He made his way down to the giant cage in his mind. How could he ever possibly forget how to get to such a place. Naruto sighed as he got to the front of the cage and was expecting to be forced to see his mother getting tortured, or being forced to being face to face with the Kyuubi once again.

Oddly enough it was rather relaxing to not see Kyuubi in sight. At least as long as he took that thought at face value, because he knew he couldn't see his mother anywhere either.

In front of him however he knew must have been his other inhabitant. He idly wondered if every demon had some kind of desired human form they used to relax in? After all, the cage did appear to be quite a bit too small to fit just Kyuubi from what the stories told. He couldn't possibly imagine Kyuubi and Shukaku both in the cage at their full sizes.

In front of him was a a man with rough features. He had the body of a blacksmith through and through. Between the big arms and being relatively short in height. He looked like a man whom hadn't shaved in awhile... but... did demons really have to shave?

Naruto pursed his lips at the thought. The sight before him was more amusing then the last time he had encountered a demon.

The man was swinging back and forth seemingly in mid air on a hammock made of sand. In his mouth he was chewing on a wispy cigar made of pure chakra that was a mix between yellow and green. On his belly ashes would fall from the cigar before he would either blow smoke out of his nose that would sweep the ashes away, or a tiny little broom made of sand would sweep the ashes off of him.

Honestly? At first Naruto wanted to laugh. Yet he realized if he was going to be in his mind, and have to spend time with these demons, he would have to do something productive.

Almost as if his mind was read, he heard a enticing voice from the back of the cage call out, "I will be with you in a minute Sweetie." Naruto's lip twitched as following that comment was a glass shattering scream. He clenched his fists as he tried to think of some way he could free his mother from this cage. Or the more pleasant thoughts, such as killing the Kyuubi. One of his more pleasant thoughts for the fox involved a giant over sized blender, and her...

"You should keep your thoughts to yourself Uzumaki." called the voice of Shukaku as he chewed on the end of this cigar before blowing smoke out of his nostrils.

"Oh I don't know Shukaku..." Came a soft voice as the woman made her presence clear from the shadows of the cell. First sight becoming visible would be her piercing red eyes, before revealing her more pleasant female features. If she was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside, Naruto figured he would have set the woman free. "I always knew my container was a villain... a demon at heart." she continued as she got up to the edge of the cage.

Shukaku growled as he sat up from where he was resting and scowled at the woman. A gesture which she returned, although with a wink and a mocking kiss in addition to it. The tension between the two could be cut with a knife. Naruto only wished he could know exactly why they seemed to want to be at each others throat's.

"So what can I do you for Naruto-chan? Come to take me up on my offer for your lady problems? Perhaps to free me?" she said in a silky smooth voice.

Naruto grit his teeth at that, "You know what I want Kyuubi."

"Me to nibble on your ear, and scratch your chest and..."

Naruto quit listening to the fox as he grit his teeth, "Damnit Kyuubi! My Mother! I want my mother!" he yelled in frustration as he slammed his fists against the cage bars, letting them reverberate a ringing sound throughout his mind.

"Oh... a pity." She said as she cocked an eyebrow, not really caring what Naruto wanted in the slightest. "Well you know what I want. Up for a trade?"

"So you can just kill me when you get free right?" Naruto asked bitterly.

"I can give you my word that I wont kill you if you release me now Naruto." Kyuubi said with a grin.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you will just kill everyone I care about instead."

Kyuubi's gaze softened slightly and she shrugged her shoulders in admittance.

"You aren't getting released." Naruto said firmly as he crossed his arms to stare at the woman across from him.

"Fine." she said a bit frustrated, "Then you are never getting your mother." she too said quite firmly. Kyuubi flung her hand behind her, and an extension of her chakra flew off and crashed into something judging by the loud sound of two thing crashing together, followed by a blood curdling scream.

Naruto grit his teeth and gripped the bars of the cage, and pressing himself right onto the invisible line he knew Kyuubi could not cross. "Alright, why are you doing this?" He asked in a weak voice as he could faintly hear whimpering coming from the back of the cage. "Why? Because I wont let you out of the seal? You should know I can never let that happen."

The female demon laughed. "Oh I know you will never want to let me out. It just goes against some skewered version of a moral code you have created as you grew up Naruto." She pointed a finger to her eyes before pointing back to him, "I have been watching." She said with the slightest bitter tone.

"Then why are you doing this?" Naruto spat with gritted teeth. Was this demon in front of him so heartless to just torture people... for the sake of torturing people? "Do demons not have hearts?" He asked through gritted teeth.

However it was a comment that seemed to be quite the insult to the woman as she crossed her arms over her chest and shift her weight to her other side, "The situation with your mother is one you could never hope to understand right now Naruto." she said as she gave the boy a condescending stare before turning to walk away.

Yet Naruto was going to have none of it, he grabbed the demon by her hair and tried to yank her back to the front of the cage, but it was a bad mistake. His arm was now in her territory. She gripped Naruto's arm and pulled him violently, with far more strength then a frame such as hers should ever possess. She completely lifted him through the air by his arm, and slammed him down flat on his back.

Sand flew down on the ground of the cage shaping into a claw as it got closer into striking distance of Naruto.

Naruto despite the pain had a fearful look in his eyes, realizing just how grave his situation was. However he was surprised when a giant, massive tail made of pure red chakra came to life in a instant as the Kyuubi yelled "No!" before smashing the sand, disintegrating it instantly on contact. "He is not to be touched." she said firmly as she held the boy to the floor on her side of the cage by the throat.

"I dare you Uzumaki to touch me in such a degrading and insulting way again, and I will personally rip you apart a skin cell at a time. Perhaps you do not understand how grave your situation is right now. Imagine for the past forty years you have been stuck in a bacteria and then one day it decided to act snarky." She said as she showed her sharp teeth.

She flung the boy into the air, slamming him into the ceiling before he came crashing down, nearly completely on the outside of the cage. All except for his head and neck. She grabbed the boy by the neck on his descent from the ceiling and brought him close to her face, "The reason I torture your mother is not because of some foolish grudge I have against you. No I torture her, because she did not keep her word to me."

The moment she finish she flung the boy out of the cage sending him barreling and rolling thirty feet or so before smacking hard into the wall outside the cage.

Naruto knew now should of been the time where he attempted to leave the red headed fox demon. Yet her statement couldn't help but make him curious just as to what had happened between everyone in the cage. Shukaku apparently loathed the Kyuubi from how he looked at her. The Kyuubi apparently didn't like anyone, and yet Naruto couldn't help but feel that there were underlying reasons for her dislike.

_"The situation with your mother is one you could never hope to understand right now Naruto."_ her statement played over and over in his head. Why couldn't he understand it, more importantly, why not right now?

Naruto struggled to walk back to the edge of the cage where there was a seething red head with her back turned to the cage. Before he could even speak, Kyuubi spoke, "If you hadn't guess Uzumaki, that was your queue to leave. However I am more than happy to force you out."

Naruto was quick to respond, hoping he would get an answer from the woman before she "Forced him out" of his mind. "I still want my mother." Naruto said firmly despite his injured form, which earned him a scoff from the woman. "Also why wouldn't I understand?" Naruto asked calmly which seemed to ease the tense posture in the woman before him. However she didn't bother to turn around to face him.

"It is something you haven't ever encountered in life Naruto. That is why you wouldn't understand." She said calmly despite the obvious anger she was holding in seeing as how red chakra was literally spilling off of her.

"Care to explain?" Naruto asked a bit frustrated at the woman not getting to the point when his mother could very well be injured behind the bars.

The Kyuubi looked over her should with a single red slitted eye and scoffed, "You mortals... you shinobi can't possibly understand the concept of holding your word." She said with a pause as she thought about what to say. Naruto idly wondered if she was thinking a way to work in an insult into every sentence she was planning to say.

"Your world revolves around one thing and that is deceit. Your word is only held to the highest bidder, and you people can never trust one another. I hate you. I hate you all." She said as she turned around to face Naruto and got as close as she can to the cage, and pressed her forehead against an invisible barrier.

"You may not know it Naruto-_kun_..." she spat out the suffix with distaste, "But you come from a long line of liars... and traitors." Kyuubi began as she stared at the boy in front of her. "Your mother, my previous host..." She said dryly. However the information instantly made Naruto's eyes widen.

"She came to me one day, broken, and upset. At age twelve, much like you right now, she had gone through her early years being bullied, until she eventually decided that one day she would no longer be the bullied, and she became exactly what plagued her earlier years. A bully. Years went by and as she grew older, her reputation as a bully preceded her. The people feared her, no longer because of me, but because of her reputation. Similar to you and your pranks." She finished distastefully.

"Your mother came to me in tears one day. Naturally I didn't care. I could care less about the fickle matters of your measly existences. However that was when she made a deal with me, one that she promised would be upheld. In exchange for my assistance, and _submission_." The Kyuubi grit her teeth at that word, "to giving her my chakra when she required it. When she died, she agreed on my freedom."

Naruto's eyes widened momentarily as he took in the situation at hand. "She made the deal when she was young, more than likely expecting along the lines of 'Hey if I am dead it doesn't matter what happens to the Kyuubi right?' and she was right. However imagine my rage after assisting her for nearly twenty years, after being in a prison from another person in her family for more than a hundred years. Imagine my rage when the moment I am released, and she is about to die, she assists your foolish father in sealing my in you. After helping her all of those years, after she gave me her word? She betrayed me."

Naruto felt once again that day like he was receiving information overload. His father was the Yondaime? His mom essentially was toying with the next worse thing in the shinobi nations to the death god? Naruto was quickly getting a headache.

"Then up until recently, Your..." she paused as she peered out of the cage, and her chakra rushed out of it in the shape of foxes. It idly reminded him of his own water foxes. They darted down a hall chasing after a yellow blur, but Naruto at the time thought nothing of it.

"Your mother stood outside of my cage. Capable of giving me my freedom at any moment, and yet she didn't. So lucky for me that woman decided to seal the Shukaku in here Naruto. The Shukaku force a portion of my chakra to be capable of being used on the outside of the seal. I may not be able to harm you... but your mother." She grinned at the shell shocked boy before her.

"Well how are traitors dealt with in your pathetic shinobi villages again?"

Naruto scowled at the woman, despite all of this information that had been raining down on him the past day, she didn't have to insult his dream. "Weren't you beaten by one of those 'pathetic shinobi villages' Kyuubi?" Naruto asked using finger quotes with a roll of the eyes.

Kyuubi not missing a beat responded quickly, "And look whose dead, and who is alive? Kyuubi one, Namikaze Minato zero. Lets also remember I also have a permanent prisoner of war."

Naruto grit his teeth and said, "Well some punishments are worse than death." He said calmly towards the prisoner of the past 150 plus years.

"I think I would know." She stated bitterly.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he took a deep breath, "If I try and figure out a way for you to get out without my completely ripping the seal off, would you stop torturing my mother in the mean time?" He said in a bit of frustration. He was fighting for his mother for the simple sake that she was his mother. He couldn't help but feel that she was deserving the treatment she was receiving if this story was even the slightest bit true.

"I want your word Naruto." Kyuubi said as she motioned the boy closer to the cage.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. After everything she said, he would imagine that his word would mean pretty much nothing. Yet Kyuubi caught on to this and clarified.

"I was given a choice Naruto when I was sealed in you, a choice given to me by the shinigami. This seal was constructed like no other seal out there for a jinchuriki. This seal was designed so that I was to be a prisoner until I die. I was asked what one quality, what one key feature, what one key trait would I want to impart on my host. Guess what that was?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow before shrugging his shoulders and questioning. "My whiskers?"

Kyuubi looked mildly amused at that, and her features softened. "No. Not your whiskers. I wanted you to have a compelling, and almost a higher calling desire, a need, to just keep your word. I figured that if I was going to live out my last days in the son of a traitorous woman, I mine as well not have to watch history repeat itself. Particularly with dishonorable qualities."

Naruto exhaled he could understand where the beast was coming from in that regard.

"Think about your life Naruto? You have never had to give your word to anyone? You have never promised anyone anything. The only thing you have ever said you would do is become Hokage. Yet why? Why do you pursue that goal now, despite everyone's adversity aimed directly at you? You can't explain it. Don't bother trying to rationalize it, because I know you can't explain it. However I know the reason. It isn't because it is your dream. It isn't because you want to be accepted. No Naruto, it is because you want to keep you word." The Kyuubi said with the slightest bit of... pride in her voice? "So Naruto, give me your word."

Naruto squashed the tornado and volcano going off in his stomach as he realized that his dream, no matter the fact that he wanted to achieve it, was also through circumstances he couldn't control. "I give you my word I will try to figure out a way to free you that does not involve completely ripping the seal off..." he paused as he looked at Kyuubi before continue, "As long as you no longer torture my mother while I try and figure out a way, and you agree to release her if I do find one." Naruto finished with a grin quite happy at the fact that he could think of that long deal that essentially forced the Kyuubi to sit tight and no longer harm his mother while he... completed this task...

The Kyuubi looked over toward Naruto with a hint of something in her eyes that Naruto couldn't place. It was something he never actually had seen in anyone before so he left those thoughts alone and gave the Kyuubi a nod before leaving his mind.

Kyuubi grit her teeth as she looked over, peering through the darkness at the woman shackled to the wall by red chakra restraints. Kyuubi flicked her hand vanishing the restraints, and pulled the woman towards her with a long chakra tail, and brought her up to her eye level.

"Get the fuck out of here Kushina, I never want to have to see you again." before she dropped the woman back to the floor before the fox demon moved her way to relax in the darkness of the cage.

Kushina took no time in scrambling out.

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Alright... So a lot of Kyuubi this chapter. I actually revealed a lot with her quicker than I intended... however it isn't that big of a deal really. Some people may complain or whatever about her character not being well... demon-y enough. I am a firm believer in everyone has a story to be told, even when it comes from characters whom you may find rather pathetic, (For example I think Hinata is terrible :O, yet even has an interesting story.) To characters that are dubbed as "Great" like the Uzumaki family plus Minato.

So Shukaku hasn't gotten as much development, however he will. You were seeing a bit of sand manipulation in this chapter, much to my displeasure looking back on it. So that is something I intend to return to and look in depth on, because I never ever wanted Naruto to become a Gaara 2.0 or a melee version of Gaara. So it is definitely something I will look into. These past couple chapters just sort of got a life of their own. Originally Naruto was going the have his chakra control fine, and the mist shinobi were actually going to subdue and defeat Kisame with the assistance of Kurenai and Asuma in which case Samehada was going to take a liking to the next most powerful chakra source around. Naruto. However Kisame while writing just grew into a character that has a potential for a ton of depth.

So I hope this gave some insight into Kyuubi's actions. No character is born cruel or evil, they more often then not adjust to their environment and are effected by the actions of the people around them. I hope I was able to show a Kyuubi that disliked Naruto, and humans in general, but at the same time didn't make her black and white evil or good.

I just feel any evil character that was formerly a hero, or was at first a victim is easier on the eyes to read on because you at least get to see how they got there. For example compare and contrast Pein and Madara. Alright well one grew up in a world at war, as an Orphan, and he ended up indirectly being forced to kill his best friend due to war. So he wanted to achieve world peace at all costs. Fine.

Madara wants world domination... for... because... wait what do we really know about him besides history book information? Oh right... not much.

Anyways I hope you could enjoy this chapter. Again a bit sloppy. You saw Tsunade make an appearance, but Kyuubi just clogged up the chapter lol... So you should see her next chapter I think.

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So anyways read and review. I had some fun with this chapter. I really enjoy making things in my story reference actions that are rather unexplainable in canon. For example why Naruto keeps trying to bring Sasuke back despite all of the problems. So this was a fun way to do that. I hope you enjoyed this.

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Edit: Apparently something is buggy with this story, I keep trying to post this chapter, and it keeps on getting taken down whenever I am looking at it on hits or story stats etc. Don't know why. The chapter isn't even showing up as if I have it posted. Sorry if this flags for you guys as a new chapter.

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PS: I feel like a douche, realized that I had anonymous reviews disabled. So my apologies to anyone whom was attempting to review anonymously before. I am never against constructive criticism, even from an anonymous source. I must admit though, blatant flaming is a bit annoying and unproductive.


	10. When No One Can Save You

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Naruto shifted in bed lightly as he opened his eyes slowly, to say he was comfortable would be an understatement. Despite all of the revelations he had learned as of recent, he couldn't help but want to relax in bed.

'_Wait a minute... a bed?' _Naruto opened his eyes completely and saw the black haired young woman whom ran around with the blonde the other day hovering over him from the side of the bed. It was like reflex, Naruto quickly kicked the covers off of him and kicked outward at the woman off to the side of the bed before jumping off the side of the bed near the window. Last time he woke up with a woman above him he could easily say that it was one of the least pleasing moments of his life thus far.

Naruto wasn't in any mood to wait around for an explanation, he was already unfastening the window with one hand as he glared at the black haired woman. The woman was at a loss of words at the display and called out "Tsunade-sama!"

The effect was instantaneous. The moment Naruto got the window open and was ready to leap out of the window, he was grabbed by the back of the neck and thrown down heavily on the bed. He impacted so hard that he initially thought that he had broken the bed.

Yet the one thing Naruto did note about the situation was the woman was far far stronger than she appeared to be.

Naruto got another look around the room since he had been tossed on the bed and realized that there was another person's presence. A older man, with white hair that went down his back that almost looked like a lion's mane.

"That was a bit... rough... Tsunade-hime." The man said weakly as he looked towards Naruto after he had been slammed onto the bed.

Tsunade huffed, "Yeah, quite. Anyways Shizune, we're leaving." Tsunade said with a scowl. This action appeared to throw the white haired man off.

"Tsunade, you know I have come here because I need to bring you back to the village, and you know I wouldn't of come if it wasn't absolute necessary." The man said seriously. An expression that Naruto was able to note of looking out of place on the man's features.

The blonde Tsunade scoffed, "Jiraiya, I'm not going back, you wasted a trip. Be thankful that I decided not to leave your apprentice laying in the dirt yesterday. Shizune, come on." Tsunade said as she made her way for the door brushing past Jiraiya, until Naruto let his voice be known.

He knew the moment he heard the name, he knew he had heard it somewhere before. However with all of the events that had been going on the past day, his thought process was entirely scrambled, and his mind unorganized. So it took him a few seconds to realize just whom the man was. Yet sure enough, he confused stare instantly turned into a deepening scowl. He suddenly didn't want to be in the room with any of these people.

"You are Jiraiya of the Sannin?" Naruto asked sourly.

All previous action stopped, and attention turned to Jiraiya upon Naruto's question.

"I thought you said he was your apprentice?" Tsunade asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

Jiraiya had the decency to look a bit sheepish and rubbed his hand behind his head with a laugh, "Well the kid doesn't really kno-"

Naruto cut him off sternly and made his voice known to everyone in the room, "Ha! That's it, I'm leaving." He said in frustration before going once again to open the window.

Tsunade looked mildly surprised on her young features as she saw this action. "Shizune, follow the boy." she said calmly as she motioned with her head out the window where Naruto had since jumped out of. Tsunade couldn't help but notice her teammates deepening look of regret as he continued staring towards where the blonde was formerly standing.

"Hey? Pervert!" She said in annoyance as the man was seemingly ignoring her, which in reality was probably the first time... ever... that he ignored her. She snapped her fingers in front of his face to grab the man's attention.

He snapped out of his "trance" with a shake of the head and asked the blonde, "Sorry. I sort of zoned out, did you say something Tsunade-hime?"

Frustration didn't even begin to describe what Tsunade was feeling at the moment, but she bit back the idea of punching the man in front of her through the wall and asked, "I thought he was your apprentice?"

Jiraiya gave a weak laugh, "Well it was supposed to be that way..." Jiraiya said weakly, "But I am sure you know better than anyone things never work out as planned eh Tsunade?"

The woman scowled before crossing her arms over her chest, not really wanting to get into a discussion about her past. However she was not against painting a look on her face that told her former teammate exactly just one thing.

_Explain_

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Naruto ran long and hard into the forests outside of the town. He didn't know how long really, he had since stopped paying attention to the time, and instead was trying to get the black haired woman off of his back. Yet it was to no avail. With his terrible chakra control right now, he was stuck running on the forest floor and vaulting over fallen trees and bushes. There was no way he could ever attempt to outrun the woman.

He flipped over one more fallen tree before quickly slowing down in front of a small stream that seemingly went on for miles. Naruto sighed and got down to a squat as he looked over the water, and small fish that were swimming against the current.

No more then mere seconds after, he heard the black haired female drop down, supposedly from a tree above the rocky area before the stream. It quickly became apparent to Naruto that while the woman may address the blonde as her superior, she certainly didn't take after the blonde. She instead of brute force relied on being calm, quiet, and sincere. She came up next to Naruto and tapped his shoulder lightly before crouching down next to him.

"Hi..." she said awkwardly breaking the silence that reigned in the area beside the stream.

Naruto scoffed quietly to himself and picked up a rock and throwing it into the water. "Hi..." he said dryly as he watched his rock not even skip once, and just splash into the water to get carried down with the current.

Shizune gave a weak smile and sighed, "So why did you decide to run Naruto?" she asked getting straight to the point.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the woman's question. Telling people his secrets was the last thing he wanted to do right now. "Why did you decide to follow me?" He shot back with a raised eyebrow.

Shizune gave a quiet chuckle at Naruto's response to her question, "I was asked to follow you if you must know. However you still haven't answered my question Naruto." she finished with a smile.

Naruto was able to note that the woman appeared quite calm, and the smile actually looked welcome on her features. She could truly be genuine in her intentions, even if she was apparently told to follow him. However... Naruto knew better than to just trust a smile after what happened with Mei. He was quite convinced as of late that girls, and women were just all fake. Whether it be Mei? Or his mother. He had learned that the closest women to him in his life would lie to get what they want. It wasn't a situation he wanted to place himself in again.

"I didn't like the company." He said flatly as he ran a hand through his hair. Several twigs and leaves had gotten caught in his hair during his run. One of the negatives of running along the ground. Luckily whatever cuts he had received from stray branches were fully healed.

There was once again silence throughout the surrounding area. Something Naruto was able to note that he didn't particularly like. When it was silent, it gave him time to think, and to feel. Particularly feel the physical pain he was in due to the two tailed beasts stuck in his body. Something he was sure that should never happen. It also gave him time to think over his stress, whether it be about his mother? His deal with Kyuubi? Or his parting with Mei.

"Can you keep talking?" Naruto asked with pursed lips. It was frankly an odd request to the normal person, but he wasn't about to say he was in complete pain to a woman he had met through her chasing him.

Shizune appeared perplexed at the request, but perhaps if they talked, she could figure out what the problem was. "Well my name is Shizune. I don't know if you knew that." she said with a small laugh.

Naruto nodded his head in recognition toward the woman, but urged her to continue. He wanted something to focus on rather then his own thoughts. "I have been with Tsunade for quite awhile. It all started when..."

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"The invasion had ended Tsunade-hime." Jiraiya said as he poured himself some sake. "The Sand and Sound forces were retreating, and frankly people had already begun rejoicing. Yet, when I saw sensei... well he wasn't rejoicing, he wasn't actually acknowledging anyone. I thought that perhaps he was tired after his battle with Orochimaru? Or perhaps he was just worried of the safety of the village... yet when he ran." Jiraiya paused as if he was recollecting this directly from memory.

He ran a hand through his hair with a weak smile, "He had run straight back to his office. So naturally, I went to go see if everything was alright. Yet what I saw..." he scowled slightly. "He had stripped himself of his shirt, and was rummaging around all of the shelves in his office for sealing knowledge. He hadn't even noticed me walk in."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that, but urged her teammate to continue.

"I will skip most of the details about what he was doing. However he eventually took notice to my presence after he scrawled something on a piece of paper several times. He was able to tell me, just barely, and while in significant pain... that he had received a binding seal. Do you know how those work?" Jiraiya asked his teammate with a raised eyebrow.

Tsunade nodded her head momentarily, but then appeared thoroughly confused by the implications. Yet before she was able to ask her question, Jiraiya answered it for her. "Binding seals are unique. When applied the get forged onto the nervous system. If they for example connected the seal to a person's heart... in theory you could still achieve the same end result. The person would die if the terms you chose were spoken of. The problem with tying a seal to a person's heart is the nature of the binding seal. The more the terms are thought about, and more importantly, thought of how to break them or circumvent them. The seal will cause pain to the body. If the seal is connected to a person's heart, sooner or later it is going to wear and tear, and eventually the person just may die."

Jiraiya took a sip of his drink before saying, "So they connect it to the nervous system. The seal is then wired to make the mind think it is experiencing pain the more the terms are thought about being broken. The key difference between tying a seal to a person's heart or a person's nervous system is the application time. A heart could take merely minutes, perhaps even a single minute. All it is... is an organ after all. Yet an entire system of the human body? I imagine you realize how complicated that could possibly be. So naturally before the seal goes into full affect, which usually takes a half hour or so, the person isn't going to instantly die when talking about the agreed upon terms."

Jiraiya took a deep pause at this moment, thoroughly annoying Tsunade whom was curious as to what happened to her sensei. She kicked him in the shin under the table, which in turn caused him to slam his knee into the table with a hiss of pain.

"Well lets just say his life got complicated..."

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"Ever since I met the woman whom would be my sensei during the month of the exams." Naruto said slowly with a frown on his face. The woman next to him apparently could just get him talking about things he wanted to get off of his chest. It was like a flood gate. The moment the woman was able to develop a crack? It wasn't going to take much for everything else to come spilling out.

"What was the woman like?" Shizune asked curiously. She had no idea if the boy beside her even got far. Since Tsunade avoided Konoha like the plague, they genuinely knew more information countries other than Konoha.

"The Mizukage..." Naruto said with a frown as he thought to himself '_A false lover..._' He squeezed his eyes shut as memories of her came flooding back. Up until yesterday, the past month had been the best time of his life. Then all of the revelations ruined it.

Shizune raised an eyebrow at the boy's distressed form and rubbed his back gently with her hand, a gesture that apparently made him tense up before slowly relaxing. "Well you seem to have quite a deal more to say about her. If you want to... I'm all ears."

Naruto turned to the young woman at his side and took a breath before closing his eyes and relenting. "Is it pathetic if the most important person that has ever come into my life... was only in it to use me for her own needs?" Naruto asked slowly staring at his reflection in the water.

Shizune's gaze was filled with surprise for a few moments before she tried to search for what to say, "Well..." she began before taking a pause. "I don't know Naruto, did you care about this person? Did they make you happy?"

Naruto looked down not knowing how to answer that. He flicked a couple rocks into the stream as he thought of how to answer that. "I don't know, I was happy until I found out that she was just using me... now... now I'm just angry with her. Hell I'm angry with everyone..." he said as he clenched his fists almost enough to make them bleed.

Shizune brushed a few strands of hair as she sighed. "Well Naruto, I can tell you what Tsunade-sama told me. However I don't know if it will help you." she said slowly. Upon the boy not saying anything she chose to continue.

"She told me a former friend of hers told her this..." Shizune took a deep breath a frown gracing her features. Apparently she didn't completely agree with whatever Tsunade's former friend said. "The world is full of... Darkness... When everything that you know and love... Is taken from you so harshly... All you can think about... Is anger, hatred, and even revenge... And that no one can save you." Shizune pursed her lips as she got done with the rather negative quote that she had heard from her sensei. "However I believe... Sometimes in wars... In life... We fight to protect what's precious to us... Even... if we don't know the outcome. Even if we hurt others along the way..."

What Shizune was saying was clenching painfully at Naruto's heart. At this point in his life, ever since the other day... it described him perfectly. "But..." He began trying not to choke on his words. "Its so hard when you lose someone..." Naruto did his best to hold back his tears as he thought over the events over the past day, over his entire life up to this point. It was a pathetic existence. He was even toying with the thought of 'Would anyone give a damn if I was gone?'

Naruto sat down on the drier rocks near the stream, and pulled his legs close to his body and rested his head on his knees.

Despite Shizune putting a comforting hand on his back, the more he thought about it, the more he thought about the people back home in Konoha... he came to realize something. He wouldn't be missed. Everything in his "Friends" lives would just go on... business as usual. Who would really miss him?

"Shizune can you leave me alone?" He asked, not lifting his head from his legs. "I'll go back to the apartment..." He paused suddenly self conscious of the wording of his sentence ever since his conversation with Kyuubi. "Sooner or later." he said looking up to give a fake smile. It had worked on hundreds of people before, the look of false happiness.

Shizune smiled and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Alright, be careful okay? I will go back and tell Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama you wanted some time to yourself."

Naruto resisted the urge to scowl at Jiraiya's name, but nodded none the less. "Thanks... I'll just be here training." He said as stood up and dusted himself off as Shizune nodded and jumped into the trees.

Yet as soon as three minutes later, when Naruto was sure Shizune had left. He began a walk across the stream, and continuing through the forest. There was truly no reason for him to stick around.

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"Alright so I get that sensei had barely enough time to deliver you a message and tell you about his circumstance. You have explained to me three times about how long it takes the seal to meld to a person's nervous system. So tell me, what is your problem with the boy?" Tsunade said in frustration.

Jiraiya laughed a bit, their second bottle of sake now gone. "Well I think it should be quite easy to realize that Naruto is Minato and Kushina's legacy." Jiraiya said slowly. However the slightly surprised look on Tsunade's face gave him pause. Did she really not know? All it would have taken was knowing the boy's last name. Hell the kid looked exactly like his father with his blonde hair and blue eyes.

Jiraiya decided to spare her the embarrassment and continued along anyways, "Well originally I was supposed to teach the boy for the exams. Some teacher was going to bring the boy around... the hot springs..." he finished slowly, moving his chair back just out of kicking distance.

Tsunade closed her eyes and fumed in annoyance at her teammate, but waved her hand for her teammate to carry on. "The thing is... the teacher that Kakashi had lined up never brought the boy around. I imagined that perhaps the jounin was a bit biased, or the boy had taken a liking to the person teaching the boy. So they were training a bit together before the teacher handed the boy over to me. So... a bit foolishly I didn't mind sitting around and... researching." He said as he crossed one leg over the other.

"Then half way through the second week I was getting suspicious and began to look around the town for the boy, but could never actually find him. It was by the middle of the third week that I decided to just stake out his house, because I felt the boy was just slipping by me every time I was looking for him. Almost as if someone was specifically having him avoid me. The boy was leaving his house almost as six am, and not even coming back till midnight at times. It was ridiculous frankly. I eventually followed him to a training ground, but by the time I got there the damage had already been done. Some women whom I didn't know, but was obviously quite powerful... and... beautiful." He got a perverted look on his face as he thought back to it, "To be honest Tsunade-hime, she reminded me of you." he giggled a bit at that until he realized what he said. He backed up suddenly expecting to be hit, but to his surprise the comment only served to sink a hook into Tsunade, and grab her attention even more.

'_Is that jealousy?'_ Jiraiya thought to himself in amusement, but opted to save his genitals and not comment on it.

"I couldn't justly approach the boy and just snatch him up after he had been training with her for presumably three weeks. So I just dug around to try and find out just who she was. Yet any local information on her was slim to none. So I was forced to wait until the woman revealed herself as the Godaime Mizukage at the chunin exams." This statement made Tsunade go slightly wide eyed at that comment.

"So naturally when this was revealed, and then I had already told Sarutobi-sensei that I hadn't been training the boy... well he was needless to say furious with me. I thought he was actually going to kill me honestly. Anyways he told me that he would figure something out since the only possible reason she would be in Konoha would be to more likely than not steal something or poach the jinchuriki, Naruto. She was just blessed with coming at exactly the right time where Konoha couldn't really do much action against her. In my opinion she had quite a deal of luck on her side, but I am not going to be one to judge because I know miss lady luck has blessed me quite a bit as well," he said with a smile before adding, "Unlike some of us," with a snicker.

Tsunade scowled at Jiraiya making fun of her terrible luck with gambling. She would win a jack pot some day, and buy out his entire book series, and force them all to be burned. Then she would see who would be laughing then.

"Sarutobi-sensei gave Naruto a scroll when he came out on top with the exams. Standard procedure really. Yet inside that scroll he hid another scroll that consisted some information about Kushina, even some of her hand written things. I think the reason why the boy may hate me is... I'm his godfather." Jiraiya said slowly before sighing.

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It had since turned dark and Naruto had stopped walking around aimlessly and held up in a cave near by the stream. At first he thought he was going to have to wrestle a bear, but luckily, there was nothing living in the cave.

The cave was large and dark with a large aging pillar in the center of a large round dome of a room. He had since moved to the back of a cave and made a fire that had heated up the cave quite nicely. It took awhile to really get situated though, with his new attire, he wasn't all for sleeping with rocks digging into his skin. So he took the time to brush off the cave, and roll some hot rocks to surround where he would be sleeping.

Yet his problems began not when he fell asleep. But when he once again woke up to someone over him. The fire was completely put out as if someone stomped it out, or threw dirt over it. The only thing he could see and feel was simple.

The extremely hot heat of the body above him, and wispy golden mist flowing out of the person's eyes before it diffused into the air.

He knew exactly whom this was.

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A very short chapter by the standards of the last previous chapters. That being said I felt like cutting it here. I didn't want to fit Rin into this chapter, because I had a feeling it would bring it to being a bit longer than I desire.

Also have been rather busy, so sorry about the slower updates. They probably will be getting slower and slower as well. Just busy in RL as of late.

Also finally would like to say, I am really having trouble writing this arc, so you may expect shorter chapters from me(around this length I imagine). It is just I know what I want to have happen, but I don't want to smash it all together into one chapter and really give a lack of character development. For example, I could probably slide by in this arc by just showcasing a few interactions, and casting Tsunade/Shizune/Jiraiya off to the side.

So I am really looking forward going back to Konoha. Tsunade/Jiraiya are both a pain to write, particularly because I feel their characters are both rather pathetically low. Tsunade being related to Naruto, and Jiraiya being Naruto's god father. Yet not a damn birthday card? Or the fact that Jiraiya forces Naruto to walk around in his sexy no jutsu henge when they first meet? Like the man shouldn't already want to make up for lost time already?

Out of all characters in the series, these were formerly some of my favorites, and now I just can't help but getting a bad taste in my mouth when seeing them or writing them. So sorry if their dialog is clunky.


	11. Omake, formerly an AN question

Originally this was a poll or AN of sorts. The answers have already been given in. However I have nothing to fill this blank space with. So skip over this chapter. It is just going to be a short random scene, like an omake between Kushina and Kyuubi during Kushina's childhood.

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Kushina had a huge grin plastered on her face as she sat in front of the Kyuubi's cage. If she was honest with herself, she knew it probably wasn't such a good idea spending so much time with the fox. However she was lonely. '_I don't really have much else...'_ Kushina thought sadly with a frown.

_'After all I bet even Kyuubi gets lonely, being stuck in a cage all of the time right?'_ she tried to rationalize with herself, _'We are just keeping each other company.'_

_"_Alright Kushina-chan..." Kyuubi said slowly as it came up to the edge of the cage where the young girl was sitting. "You are here for another story I assume?" The fox woman gave a wicked grin after she said that barring her sharp teeth.

Kushina went wide eyed when she saw the fox demon do that, but none the less nodded her head.

Kyuubi gave a feral grin to her container. She had grown pleasantly less resentful to her container after their deal, and after they had started working together for a common goal. Kushina's happiness meant Kyuubi's freedom. A fair trade.

"Well then legends say that when the Fire Country was founded, there was a group of twelve noble samurai guardians. There skills were only matched by few. It was said that whenever trouble and danger had graced the Fire Country, these guardians would rise up to defend it. This was because they were sworn to protect the innocent, and vanquish their foes." Kyuubi watched as Kushina was instantly becoming absorbed little by little as she began to hype of the story. The girl was literally leaning forward trying to hear more of the story she was that into it.

"Shall I stop?" The Kyuubi asked with a gleam in her eyes as she watched the young red head comically widen her eyes at the question.

"Ahhh wait what?" Kushina asked as if someone had kicked her own puppy.

"No... no..." Kyuubi began as she stood up shaking her head.

"Wait but you were just getting to the good part!" Kushina practically cried about being denied her story.

Kyuubi gave the young girl a wink before sitting back down, "Fine..." she drawled slightly amused with how worked up she was able to get Kushina. "I'll continue..." she said with a sigh, acting as if she wasn't interested in the story.


	12. You Don't Know What True Sacrifice Is

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

I have chosen option A, ages for characters will be at the bottom of the chapter. There is actually a surprise hidden in there and may hint to a character whom you will be seeing more of. The character is rather easy to spot as well if you know Naruto character ages well.

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The moment Naruto saw those golden misty eyes, he sprung into action. This was nothing compared to some random brunette over him in a bedroom. No this was a woman that served to cause him constant pain hovering over him in a pitch black cave.

Naruto reached up in an instant, grabbing the woman by the throat with his left hand before reaching to his side and grabbing one of the still relatively warm rocks at his side. He tried to slam it against the woman's head, but his wrist was gripped tightly by woman.

Naruto grit his teeth and heaved his body forward, hoping to throw the woman off balance, but it only served to get both of them upright. It was just chance that the current momentum was in Naruto's favor. Sure beating the crap out of the woman before him likely wouldn't fix his problems, the damage had already been done... but...

It may make him feel better?

Naruto pushed the woman to where he thought was the center of the room, with the pillar. However he couldn't tell her couldn't see a damn thing in a place this dark. Yet for some reason he felt the woman and her glowing eyes scanning the room could see perfectly fine.

He was able to finally push her back enough with quite a deal of resistance before he felt the woman firmly plant her back foot against the wall. Any momentum he had, any leverage he formerly possessed was instantly gone. All that was left was Naruto, a young fresh off the boat chunin whom is quite physically capable... by genin standards. Yet in reality he was merely the big fish of the pond and the small fish of the ocean. He was short and probably couldn't over power any chunin physically. Thus, when he felt his shoulder's get gripped, and he was able to recall one of the key features of her appearance.

Her wings...

Naruto her one large flap of her wings, and a large gust ripped through the cave. Then like a ship setting sail, she was instantly pressing forward, and as she got the boy off of his feet due to his relatively short height. It was suddenly easy to pin him against the wall.

"I'm not here to hurt you Naruto." the woman said in a silky voice that echoed through the cave.

"Yeah bullshit!" Naruto retorted in anger as he struggle and tried to kick forward. However his short legs couldn't reach her from the distance he was at. "Last time I saw you, you sealed damn tailed beast inside of me! You can go to fucking hell."

"Perhaps you should first calm down Naruto." the woman said slowly as she released her grip slightly and let the boy slide down the wall a bit. However Naruto wasn't going to have any of it, if she was going to give him an inch, he was going to take a mile.

Naruto thrust his body at her once again almost like a caged animal backed into a corner. He swung forward with his right hand toward her face, and to his surprise... it connected? The woman didn't even bother to move. She merely took the hit and turned her cheek upon contact before turning back. "Are you alright now?" she asked as if she was asking someone how the weather was going to look like.

Naruto grit his teeth and clenched his fist as he watched the woman before him. "No..." He said calmly as he struck forward with his other hand intent on breaking her face. However she wasn't going to take a second hit laying down. She grabbed the boy's hand and flung him to the ground before sitting beside him hold his hand over his head whilst she sat on his other arm.

"Would you stop thrashing about? I will explain why I'm here." she said sternly, almost in a scolding tone.

Naruto grit his teeth, "Explain why your here? I don't even fucking know who you are. Last time I met you, you were saying that you loved me, and you knew my mother. Then you go and seal a tailed beast inside of me saying it was for my own protection?"

Naruto grit his teeth before spitting in the woman's face, "You were right, I do fucking hate you."

Golden eyes widened in the darkness before quivering a bit. She looked away from the boy's face and began staring at his stomach. Although it didn't stop any comments seeing as how a single gold stream went down her face before falling onto the darkness of the floor before losing it's misty color.

Naruto frankly didn't know what to say to this action? Was the woman seriously crying? Was this some sort of bullshit joke based off of the line of "Shedding a Tear" over something? "Hey lady are you crying?" Naruto said slightly frustrated with the circumstance. Particularly since she was just physically bigger and stronger than him. Why the hell couldn't she encounter him when he was not weak? He would love to see how she would stand up to being forced into a water prison next time she touched him.

The woman looked the slightest bit startled, and quickly wiped her eyes before saying, "I need you to channel chakra into your seal."

Naruto laughed, "Not a chance."

"What do I need to do to earn your trust so I can fix your seal Naruto?" The woman asked slowly, her voice almost shaky.

Naruto shook his head, "You wont earn my trust ever with what you have done. Yet you can humor me and tell me your damn name." Naruto said in a growl.

The woman turned to her side and leaned over Naruto, before scratching her claw like fingers together a few times, creating a spark over where the fire formerly was. It took a few seconds, but sure enough the moment she got a good spark, the fire seemed to burst back to life. She shifted her arm over her chest to cover herself, but one arm was more than enough to keep Naruto pinned down. He would need quite a deal more of growing and physical training to overpower her with just brute strength. "Well... I'm Rin." She said with hesitation, almost as if she had long since forgot her name.

Naruto looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "No last name?"

Rin pursed her pale purple lips into a firm line before raising her eyebrows in mild surprise, "I can't even remember it anymore," she said with a laugh.

Naruto scowled at the woman, "Can you cut the bullshit, if you can't even give me a last name, then it is obvious Rin isn't your fucking name. Can I leave?" Naruto asked through gritted teeth. The more he spent time with this woman the angrier he got.

Rin frowned as she looked down at Naruto, "If you must know Naruto, the last time I was even using a last name I was using Uzumaki."

Naruto's blood went cold at the implications of what she was saying. "Your not like... my sister or something are you?" he said almost angry at the possibility of having another person that close to him in his life that didn't give a damn.

She huffed in amusement as she smiled, as if she was recalling a fond memory. "No not officially..." she said slowly before a rather sour look graced her features the more she thought.

Naruto could only raise an eyebrow at the 'Not Officially' part of her statement.

"Can you now channel some chakra to your seal so I can try and fix it?" Rin asked slightly impatient with having to wait here half naked over the young boy.

"How are you going to fix it?" Naruto asked through gritted teeth, "Last time you touched the seal, you only caused me problems."

Rin shook her head, "It was for your benefit, I know quite a bit about the seal on your stomach as well as several other types. Including the one I put on you for the Shukaku."

Naruto clenched his fists and let his anger get the best of him and pushed upwards, "How the hell was it for my benefit!" he yelled at the woman, regardless of the fact that she had him quite firmly held down. "If you were in fact such a friend of my mother, did you know that you got her tortured with what you did?" Naruto asked with a piercing gaze. Yet he couldn't write off the lingering thought in the back of his mind that told him that his mother deserved it... perhaps it was because he never actually knew her?

Rin appeared clearly surprised at this fact and then started staring intently at Naruto's stomach, even though nothing was there. "I didn't know that..." she began as she searched for words, "when you were younger I took the time to learn everything I could mechanically about your seal." She started to look increasingly guilty as the seconds went by at the new information she found.

Naruto wasn't saying anything, staring intently up at the woman. She screwed up. She deserved every bit of guilt she was giving herself.

"I have... heard things." She began as she looked away with a sigh. "I heard that there was an organization searching to extract the tailed beasts from their hosts. Yet the process of doing that takes a long time and requires a lot of chakra. I figured if the Shukaku was in you, if you were ever captured, it would give... people all the more time to find you, and you would be harder to... extract from." She said all of this quite quickly, information that thoroughly surprised Naruto and set him on edge. Was that the group Itachi and Kisame were in? How many members were there? Were they all as strong as Itachi and Kisame?

Questions ran through Naruto's head at a high pace all serving to bring him down in a sour mood.

"How did you find any of this out?" Naruto began still trying to process all of this information.

Rin's lips formed a thin line, as her piercing golden eyes produced a thin veil of smoke around them. "I found out about them through keeping tabs on a former member... I..." she closed her eyes before saying, "have personal problems with the man..." as she exhaled.

"Why did you give a damn about me when I was younger?" Naruto asked suddenly, as if he had been ignoring everything Rin had been saying, and focusing on his own conversation in his head.

Rin said nothing for a long time before gesturing to Naruto's stomach, "I need to see your seal."

Naruto looked at the woman above him in defiance which in turn caused the woman to speak.

"I will work on your seal as I answer your questions." She said conceding. She almost lifted one hand in the air almost as if to say 'Fine, I'm tired of this.' until she realized that her current state of dress, or lack of would not be something she wanted the boy to see.

Naruto grit his teeth in a slightest bit of pain as he just let chakra flow out. It was like it was water, or a thin mist that came out of the pores of his skin. It was impressively visible, and uncontrolled. It rolled off of him in waves, not threatening, but quite the remarkable sight. "Alright, your answer?" Naruto said in a bit of pain as he closed his eyes not trying to think about the possibility of himself giving the woman a chance to... seal another tailed beast inside of him perhaps.

"I wanted to be your mother." the woman said completely calm, and in an even if not slightly sad tone. Some people say that conversations aren't about what is said, it is about how you say it? Naruto at the moment found that concept to be bullshit.

"Ehhh what?" he asked rather surprised, trying not to choke on his words. Tried as he might to not think about it the possibility of this woman above him raising him. He couldn't. The possibility that he would of had to grow up alone. That he wouldn't of had to teach himself everything he needed to survive? That he would have someone to support him so he wouldn't look like a complete and utter fool in class? That he, just in general, would have always had someone there for him? Naruto got a lump caught in his throat at the idea and had trouble swallowing.

"I wanted to be your mother." she repeated slowly as she carefully ran a clawed finger over his seal. "When you were younger, I actually used to take care of you. Alongside a friend of your mother's, Uchiha Mikoto. However one night... all of that changed." she said the last part distastefully.

Naruto still was trying to remain calm, but was getting stressed the longer she kept going on. He wanted to know more about the woman now. He found it absolutely ridiculous that there could very well be some deranged killer hovering over him, and all he could think about was getting to know her more. Yet he couldn't help it.

"Where were you then?" Naruto asked a bit painfully at the thought of another person stabbing him in the back.

Rin looked guilty, and depressed once Naruto asked that. Although she was quick to mask it by running a hand through her silky hair and getting her face closer to the boy's abs. "Look at me Naruto."

A simple line could speak volumes.

Naruto took in the woman's appearance and couldn't help but find an answer to his own question. She had glowing eyes, giant wings, an insect-like carapace, claws... there was no way she would fit in anywhere in a town. She would be feared, and Naruto would be feared even more through association.

"I tried to be there for you. Probably more than you know." She began as she went through a couple hand seals, and the chakra pouring off of Naruto was being absorbed into her body. "However I couldn't literally be there for you because... well look at me." She said regretfully.

Naruto didn't need to look, he had taken in her appearance. He understood her situation. That didn't mean he had to like it. "What do you mean you tried to be there for me?" Naruto said in a bit of frustration.

Rin took her hand that was restraining Naruto and took it off of him waving her hand a bit dismissively. "I was there for you Naruto, but you just never knew it. I was constantly watching over you."

There was a deep silence that followed that statement, that was just filled with Rin gently running her fingers over the seal. That was until Naruto said something that made her pale, and want to slap her own forehead.

"You do realize, you sound like some sick pedophile stalker right?" Naruto asked completely serious as he found what she was saying completely ridiculous.

Rin sighed, "Think about it Naruto. When you first got your apartment and were lost? Someone kept calling out for you, and eventually led you home?" Rin said turning her eyes toward Naruto. "Perhaps you will remember coming home to a full restocked fridge so you didn't have to eat... just ramen cups?"

Rin continued to list off random moments in Naruto's life that she was supposedly the one there for him. However it was just so... hard to believe.

If she wasn't the person doing it, how would she know about that one time he was lost trying to get home? How could she possibly know about his fridge randomly getting stocked with vegetables and steak among other things? Naruto was a ninja, and he knew from lectures in the academy. Even the greatest of information gatherers only get information that is deemed important. Even if someone saw a shadowy figure leading him home, he doubted anyone would really give a damn to report it and actually make it public knowledge. She couldn't possibly know those things without having been the person assisting him.

Naruto pursed his lips at the possibility of just how close this woman was to his life, and he was just finding out about it now. Naruto bit his tongue unwilling to carry on the personal conversation any longer, and moved straight to the task at hand. "How do you plan to fix my seal? Hell how is my seal even working now?" Naruto asked in a bit of frustration. Much to his displeasure he couldn't bring himself to hit the woman even if his hands were free. He couldn't bring himself to kick her off of him. It left a sour taste in his mouth with just how emotionally clingy he felt. Even people that do horrible things to him, he couldn't help but care for them... it was pathetic.

Rin took a deep breath and said, "I need you to keep flowing chakra out of your body..." she said as she took a pause. "As for the seal..." she began as her hands began to suck up the misty chakra that radiated off of Naruto. "The seal is simple really. Imagine that your seal for the Kyuubi was an unbreakable chain, that could hold up a cage. No matter how heavy the cage was, and no matter what was inside of the cage it could hold it up."

Rin noticed Naruto trying to picture it in his head and frowned, only hoping that the boy would understand the full outcome. "What I did was I pushed Shukaku into that cage. So essentially Shukaku's seal is rather mediocre, and minor, but it is being piggy backed on the seal of the death god. Do you follow me?" she asked as she went through a slow series of hand seals before placing her hands over the boy's stomach.

Naruto gave a short nod which prompted Rin to continue. "The problem is that the cage is only meant for Kyuubi's innate capacity of chakra. So sealing the Shukaku in it essentially was making the cage bulge and contort to the point it was nearly bursting at the seams. Kyuubi's chakra was probably powerful enough to flood out of the cage and give her a bit of free reign to move a bit in your head."

Naruto instantly felt anger rise up as he realized that it was in fact Rin's seal that had caused his supposed mother to get tortured. "Well aren't you just a fucking genius?" Naruto asked bitterly as he lifted himself up slightly on his elbows to look at the woman. "You are the reason I had to see my mother get tortured." Naruto said with a calm voice, but it was evident on his face that he was significantly angry, if not seething.

Rin once again looked guilty, but closed her eyes and pressed the boy back down to the rocky floor of the cave. "I did what I felt was in your best interests at the time Naruto. If I had known... perhaps things would have been different. I was merely looking out for you."

Naruto scowled, "Looking out for me!" he asked in rage. "Damnit you have left me in constant pain for days, how the hell do you call that looking out for me?" Naruto asked gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. Perhaps hitting the woman wasn't such a far away idea after all.

The woman shook her head, and narrowed her eyes. "I told you, it was in your best interests at the time. In theory it would make you a completely useless target for this supposed organization until they have collected every other tailed beast. I did this to protect you, and I hope you realize that."

Naruto ground his teeth, "Yeah well..."

"Naruto, while I have not been around as much as I would like. I am supposed to be your mother, and I did what I thought was best at the time. Leave it at that." Rin said sternly, in a voice the was clearly saying she wasn't up for this discussion.

However Naruto never having a figure like that in his life didn't recognize the voice and gave a bark of a laugh. "You are not my mother lady!" He yelled in the woman's face. "I have always been on my own, don't try and mother me now! You likely sacrificed me for some bullshit like my parents did!"

The room instantly dropped to ice cold, despite the fire going right beside them. The woman grabbed Naruto by the throat, and none to gentle threw him towards the wall of the cave. He impacted hard, chunks of stone falling off the sides of where he impacted.

Rin's wings burst out, and like spears, stabbed into the wall right under Naruto's arms holding him up. "Do not." Rin said as she grew closer, to where she reached her clawed fingers out and pressed them against Naruto's chest. "Do not talk to me like you know what the hell sacrifice even is." her eyes burned as wisps of smoke flew out of her eyes, her body almost like a silhouette against the fire.

Naruto could only roll his eyes, "You do know who your talking to right Rin?"

Rin narrowed her eyes, "Yes, and precisely why I said, you know nothing of sacrifice."

There was a heavy silence after her statement, Naruto clearly confused as to what she meant. It made absolutely no sense to him. At least until he recalled the word "Jinchuuriki."

Rin scoffed, "Jinchuuriki, the power of human sacrifice. Or shall I say, the product of human sacrifice? You sacrificed nothing. You were not given a choice Naruto. You were forced to deal with the hand the Shinigami had dealt you. Your parents were the ones that had to sacrifice you, that sacrificed their son so that their village could survive. You merely had to live with the effects of it. Don't tell me you know a damn thing about true Sacrifice Naruto. You are merely a product of it." Rin said bitterly as she pressed her fingers harder against the boy's chest.

"You haven't had to sacrifice anything of true value for the sake of others in your life Naruto. You have no idea how much I sacrificed for you." Rin said as her fingers pressed against his chest glowed bright and seals began to burn on his chest and start flowing down to his stomach.

Naruto grit his teeth in pain as once again he felt the burning fire of seals on his body, but he was able to get out, "Yeah right... I bet you haven't sacrificed shit for me." Naruto said weakly as his vision began to fade.

Rin ran a hand through her hair with a chuckle, "Naruto... for you? I sacrificed my former life, my body, and even my mind. All for you. Don't assume anything about me, until you take the time to get to know me."

She retracted her wings from the wall, and gently held Naruto so he would slide down the wall. She smiled as he slowly began to drift to sleep as the effects of the seals took their toll. Rin leaned in and kissed Naruto gently on the forehead, "I do love you... I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused." she said in a whisper as darkness took Naruto.

Then suddenly, similar to last time, she took several steps away before stopping. Then almost like Kakashi's Head Hunter jutsu, a hole opened in the earth that she slowly but surely melted into before completely vanishing from the cave, not leaving a sign of her presence. All besides two spear like indentations in the cave walls.

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It had been an hour since Naruto had awoken, and it was easy to say it was a new day. Yet more importantly was how Naruto felt about it.

Naruto gave a yell of Joy as he jumped from a forest line off a high cliff, and down into the city below. The jump spoke certain death for any normal person without chakra... but...

Naruto expelled chakra into the air around him in an instant, and water poured out as if a dam had broken in mid air. The people down below the city couldn't believe what they were seeing. Yet here was a kid whom just jumped off a cliff... proceeded to make a long flat slide of water, and proceeded to slide down it on his feet before the water evaporated back into the air.

The moment Naruto hit the ground, he jumped back up into the air, literally bouncing off of the walls.

He could use chakra again...

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"Excuse us." came a soft, but authoritative female voice as a group made their way through the crowded streets of the town that never slept in Fire Country. It was a group of four, presumably lead by the female at the front of the group. She wore dark deep ocean blue samurai garbs with the standard black bottoms to match. She had a lighter shade of blue hair that flowed down to her lower back. She currently wore a straw hat over her head that cast a dark shadow over her face. She appeared to be quite young. Although the feature about her that stood out to everyone around her was the kendo sword that she kept situated on her back, as well as the real sword she kept sheathed on her side. In fact upon closer inspection, one would notice a little tie that kept the sword and sheath forcibly closed. It would take quite a deal of force to pull the blade and the sheath apart.

Although they as a whole were catching quite a deal of attention mainly because how they were moving through the crowd. The woman in the front was guiding two male shinobi with red and brown shinobi gear on. What stood out even more was the Iwagakure plates that were situated on their chests and arms. They were guiding a giant bulky hulk of a man through the streets. He easily towered over everyone standing at a good six foot six, and nearly 280-300 pounds of purely ripped muscle. This appearance was only assisted with the veins showing on his muscles as he walked around shirtless. There was a quiet comment from a male not paying attention passing by, whom nearly bumped into the man's chest. However this was not without a comment saying "Careful, you may poke someone's eye out." as he addressed the man's nipples which earn a couple snickers from the groups around the streets.

Although the most noticeable thing about the picture as a whole was the fact that the big hulk of a man was in shackles and chains, being escorted around by the three shinobi. Apparently they were hunter ninja from Iwagakure.

That was the main reason why most were staying out of the group's way as they walked down the street. At least everyone whom was paying attention.

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Naruto jumped out of an alley where he had been leap frogging trash cans, and homeless. He jumped out into the street preparing to create his own personal turret of water to shoot him into the sky. At least until he crashed into a blue haired female at a significant force knocking her hat off and the streets instantly quieted down as the hunter ninja stopped and tensed.

Naruto opened and closed his mouth once trying to figure out what to say, and more importantly why everyone stopped talking. However the whole situation was throwing him off. Whether it be the blue haired woman whom was staring down at him with a raised eyebrow. Or the big hulk in shackles whom was looking quite amused with the situation and mumbled, "About time your ass got smacked around."

Naruto twitched a bit at the comment when he heard it seeing as how that wasn't his intention in the slightest. Yet as he looked back to the man, he couldn't help but take notice to the shinobi behind him with Iwagakure identification plates drawing kunai knives.

Yet before any form of encounter could start, the woman bent down and grabbed her hat, "What is your name?" she asked as she was rising up.

Naruto thought about lying, but considering him impacting into the woman and nearly knocking her off her feet, the least he could do was give her his name and apologize. "Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm sorry about crashing into you like that. I'm in a kinda good mood and I wasn't really looking where I was going." he said with a bit of a laugh as he rubbed the back of his head.

The young woman smiled, and put her hat back on her head, "Well Uzumaki Naruto, I am Rei, and I hope you continue to have a good day. Although perhaps... you should be more careful where you are going?" she suggested at the end.

Naruto grinned weakly at the end as the woman walked away. Oddly enough, Naruto also go a nod from the hulking male, and out of courtesy gave a nod back. Although he couldn't help but feel the dark, near rage coming off of the two hunter ninja trailing behind the hulking man. He even saw the gleam of a kunai hidden in one of their sleeves. Naruto couldn't help but feel that his relatively good encounter with the woman leading the group had spared his life. It wasn't like Iwa shinobi were Konoha's best friends either.

Not to mention Naruto knew he looked a great deal like his father, he probably wasn't that well liked upon sight...

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Naruto made his way back to the hotel that he had escaped from the previous day, with quite the huge grin on his face. He was even using chakra as if he was wall walking as he walked along the dirt path of the town. To say it felt good to have chakra back would be a huge understatement. He was even considering thanking Rin, despite the fact it would be in essence thanking the person for getting him out of a situation that she put him in.

Naruto got up to the hotel room, and before he even had the opportunity to knock, his mood soured at who answered the door. "Naruto where were you? We searched all over the town for you." the man said with a bit of frustration as he ushered Naruto into the hotel. Naruto was then granted an annoyed look from Tsunade whom said, "Don't look at me, they." She pointed to Jiraiya whom was closing the door, and Shizune whom was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room with a pig in her lap. "They are the ones that searched all over town for you."

Naruto at first thought about just ignoring the woman, given their previous encounters where she was opting to slam him around at every turn. However now that he had chakra... "Well aren't you just a charming little princess?" He said with a grin as he looked at the woman.

She merely gave a smirk as she was more than willing to play a battle of words, and stoop to the boy's level, "How short are you brat?"

Naruto scowled at the brat comment and the tension in the room instantly increased, "How old are you?" Naruto asked with an amused smile. It was a simple question, and yet to someone whom was quite self conscious with their age and looks, it was quite the insult.

Jiraiya attempted to step in and say, "Uhh... Naruto, Tsunade is just in a rather grumpy mood because I convinced her to become Hokage."

Tsunade growled at this, "It was a fucking coin flip for your life savings Jiraiya, I can't believe you are actually taking this seriously."

Jiraiya grinned from ear to ear, "Wouldn't you Tsunade-hime? If you won that is..." he added at the end as an afterthought.

The woman scowled and turned back to Naruto, "Hey kid did you know that man is supposed to be your godfather?"

Silence reigned.

Jiraiya and Shizune both were looking at the blonde incredulously. She was acting like a spoiled brat... a spoiled princess. Not to mention the fact that she could very well have destroyed any type of relationship Jiraiya may have tried to develop with the boy for the remainder of their time here.

Naruto looked down and sighed. It was something he knew for a few days now, but to hear it spoken of... openly? Naruto ran a hand through his hair and shrugged his shoulders. He then said as if the man wasn't in the room, "So I have heard. However I cannot take that title seriously, and I doubt he can either considering he was never there for me growing up."

There was more silence... and tension.

"Uhhh... I think I am going to go get some rest!" Shizune quickly said before putting the pig on his feet and rushing out of the room towards the bedroom, despite it being daylight out.

Naruto held down a laugh at the black haired assistant whom was likely the one he liked the most out of the current group of shinobi. "When are we leaving for Konoha, or can I just head there now?" Naruto asked more than ready to follow Shizune out of the room once he got his information.

Tsunade scoffed and turned away from the blonde boy, which prompted Jiraiya to look at Naruto rather weakly, "We will probably leave within the hour now that your back." Jiraiya said with a small smile.

Naruto paid the man no mind and made his way into the bedroom and flopped down onto the bed. Even if he was feeling great due to no longer being in pain, and being able to use chakra again? He still slept on a rocky cold floor in the middle of a cave, that had filled with smoke near the top by the end of the night.

Naruto let out a sigh as he relaxed face first into the pillow with a smile and a heavy sigh. Naruto closed his eyes and relaxed as he heard out of the corner of the room, "You seem happier then the other day Naruto-kun."

Naruto chuckled and put his hands behind his head before shifting his headband over his eyes, "You have... no idea..." he said as he made a small ball of water appear in front of his face before evaporating back into the air.

Shizune's breath was caught in her throat.

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Ages are as follows.

Rookie 9: 15/16 time skip ages

Gai's team: 16/17 time skip ages

Suna team: 16/17/18 time skip ages(gaara's age?)

Kakashi and Gai: 29/30

Kurenai/Asuma: 31

Anko:27

Hanabi: 14

Kisame: 32

Itachi: 20/21

Mei: I truly never specified her age. I think I said she didn't look a day over 25. I don't know what I will make it officially. She is anywhere from 26-28 at the moment. Haven't decided.

Konohamaru: 10

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The obvious age change is obvious... Anyways I set down all of the ages that may even remotely matter. Jiraiya and Tsunade being 3 years older doesn't change much, they are in their fifties.

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Also now I will say what I intend to do. After a rather overwhelming option A, which I may add I am quite happy about. I have decided to make everyone older. One of the things I really just want to note though is nothing changes time line wise. Everyone is just older. So the Akatsuki are still going to go on the move three years from now, etc etc.

The reason I needed the age change was a few events I had planned for the time skip just would not sit well with me... at all with their current ages. They needed to be older, and honestly when I started this story I kinda only had the "I want to create hype between Naruto and Neji" and I knew the story ending. The middle is still really up in the air besides some major events that happen here and there. So I am sorry about the age change mid way through the story.

I will eventually try and get back to reading through my story and correcting the ages. The problem is that sort of kills my gas, so I am going to try and hold off on that and merely put an AN at chapter one.

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Anyways plans plans plans. I actually realized through reviews(thank you), that Naruto would more likely then not act differently, and justly so I couldn't make him suddenly start randomly acting mature. So with this in mind, I have opted to actually shorten this arc of the story. (Ending it this chapter as you saw, getting him back in Konoha quite soon.) Then I will move straight into an arc that is going to develop some of the characters you will be seeing quite a deal more as the story progresses.

The upcoming arc is the final arc before the time skip one. I don't know how long I will make this arc, but I am going to be trying to get quite a bit done... so we will see.

(As for why I didn't replace the chapter, I feared that quite a deal of the reviews that brought up some rather helpful ideas for me may get deleted if I took down the chapter, and replaced it with this one. If anyone knows if this happens or not, I'll gladly take down the chapter and put this one over it.)

Anyways thanks for all of the feed back, I think I got something ridiculous like 140 plus reviews within a hour of posting it lol XD...

So read and review, this chapter got cut a bit short since I realized I wasn't going to do all of the things planned in this arc, and instead pack them into the next arc.

So long AN, my apologies. Felt you all deserved an explanation, and this is as good of one as I can give without spoilers. If you want light spoilers as to why an age change was needed, PM me, beyond that see you all soon.

x

**PS: the reason for the age change was not sex(at least directly related, because there will be mature themes), although I do love how many reviews jumped right to Naruto and Mei getting it on lol...**


	13. Everyone has a Story to be Told

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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Naruto was a bit surprised when he got back to Konoha. He hadn't been around when houses were being rebuilt, or when funerals for the fallen were happening. It honestly slipped passed his mind really until he passed by the memorial stone that had freshly carved names on them.

He had been in the town for nearly a week, which he got to stay home and relax after his "Technically" surprise mission that he had been given on the spot. He had taken the time to try and think of a solution to his deal with Kyuubi, and checked out a library book on seals. Although it wasn't like he really cared that much about the success or fail of the mission. Both he and Tsunade were butting heads the entire journey to Konoha. Not to mention the fact that Tsunade was seemingly quite content with stalling the journey to Konoha repeatedly. Taking bathroom stops practically every few miles saying her feet were hurting. Naturally the rest of the shinobi took it as utter bullshit. However Naruto kept his mouth shut as he remembered her little background story Shizune had opted to tell him about.

It was a bit odd... the black haired assistant. Ever since he had returned from his encounter with Rin, and manipulated water in front of her. She had practically been clinging to him like glue. It was a bit funny at times to be honest, particularly on the journey back. Despite Shizune's uptight assistant appearance. Naruto could see right through her, and could see an inner kid that he had quite the fun time drawing out of the older woman. They had broken out into multiple games of tag which often occurred due to Naruto quite roughly tapping the woman on the back of the head before darting off. She probably didn't have that much of a childhood constantly running around with Tsunade all of her life... avoiding debt collectors.

Naruto made his way to the team seven training grounds with a grin, despite the fact that he had a feeling that his sensei wouldn't be making it to the training grounds for another three hours. He wasn't going to be annoyed with the fact that he may very well be the only one there for awhile. Perhaps it would give him the time to relax.

Although when he got there, he realized just how much things in Konoha had changed.

"Faster!" came a loud cry as Naruto approached the training grounds his team typically used.

"Harder!" another cry came as Naruto had reached the bridge and looked across the training ground with that akin to surprise... or better yet... shock.

There was Sasuke... and Sakura... training together? Better yet, Sakura appeared to be doing quite well. Not to mention Sasuke even had his sharingan active, which meant Sakura had to be at least slightly pushing him in hand to hand combat.

Although the more they fought, the less Naruto became interested in the hand to hand battle taking place, and the more he became interested in Sakura. Or more specifically her new look.

She had since taken her black skin tight shorts and opted for some long white civilian pants that were actually quite baggy. They were being held up just by a purple cloth that she hung through several belt loops that forced the pants to cling to her hips. She had taken to unzipping her red top, and keeping it parted. This revealed a small mesh fishnet shirt that revealed everything to the world, except for the fact that she had a lone ruby red bra that covered her more personal assets. The only other thing to note was that her headband color had changed to match her make shift belt. At least that was all Naruto could see from his current distance.

Although when he realized his two teammates had taken notice to him, the fighting stopped. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Naruto as if he was seeing things before smirking at the blonde. Sakura on the other hand had run over to the corner of where they were sparring, and much to Naruto's surprise, grabbed a decent sized sword that he had seen the Anbu run around with.

Naruto moved in closer towards his teammates not believing he had actually just witnessed, not only Sasuke and Sakura... training together... when not being forced to. Yet more importantly, Sakura training. Naruto got up close and couldn't really even form the words to express how he was feeling, "Erm... what?" he asked clearly confused with the situation.

Sasuke didn't say anything for several moments, but he had taken Naruto's attention from Sakura as his smirk continued to grow before he said, "I knew you weren't dead like people around Konoha were saying."

Naruto resisted the urge to slam his palm into his face. People were saying he was dead? "What?" he asked unsure that he head that correctly.

Sasuke looked amused and looked away from the blonde saying, "People around Konoha haven't seen you around, so they all started to spread rumors that "The oh so talented chunin exam champion" died in the invasion." Sasuke said, albeit a bit bitter at the chunin exam champion part. An act that Naruto was quick to pick up on. "Where did you run off to during the invasion anyways?" Sasuke asked curiously with slightly narrowed eyes.

Naruto however had since completely lost all of his attention on Sasuke when Sakura walked up, and was able to take in her face. The only part of her that he hadn't been able to take in while she was sparring with Sasuke. No longer did she hold a completely unmarred, unblemished skin. Or innocent green eyes that Naruto used to find quite the attractive feature with her. Her eyes were colder, more jaded. Yet most noticeably, there were two parallel scars that ran down her cheek. As if someone had slashed her across the face with a with cat claw weapons used by fist fighters.

"S... Sakura..." Naruto began slowly, "What happened?" he asked with a frown as he reached out slowly this his hand, wanting to see the wound closer.

Sakura froze as she say Naruto's hand coming closer to her face, and stared at it as she managed to get out, "Uhm..." She closed her eyes resisting the urge to back up. It was just her teammate after all. "During the invasion, I got attacked by a Suna shinobi, and well... he scarred my face... as you can see." She said bit tensely.

Unknown to Naruto however Sasuke also tensed, and was ready to step in and grab Naruto's arm at any time.

However it wasn't necessary as Naruto reach out slowly, and rubbed a couple fingers over his teammate's battle scar, almost pulling away when he saw her flinch upon contact. Although eventually she relaxed enough and was fine with Naruto cupping her cheek gently with his hand before pulling away.

"So you two have just been..." Naruto looked at both of his teammates allowing them to finish the question. Naruto was actually quite proud of himself for not blushing up a storm as carressing Sakura's cheek. Perhaps that phase in his life had ended, particularly when he had kissed Mei... several times. Naruto scowled at that thought.

No maybe it was when he had first encountered Rin, and despite her rather... different... appearance, he had gotten quite the eye full of her breasts several times. Although this thought only served to make Naruto cringe as he recalled all of his encounters with Rin include her consistently not wanting him to look at her like that. This was probably more so because she saw him as a son, and wanted him to see her as a mother, and less so that she gave a damn about modesty. Naruto held back a laugh at how insane it sounded that she wanted, and was going to be his mother figure. Although he wasn't going to be one to judge. Out of all of the people in his life, despite the shit she had caused him, she at least was there for him and owned up to her mistake. That was more than he could say for anyone else. The fact that she was supposedly there for him as well growing up, even if it was in the shadows helped as well.

"Training." Sasuke said as he put his hands in his pockets.

Naruto still couldn't really believe it all, "You and Sakura? Training? Together?" Naruto asked still trying to digest the information. It was like trying to digest an steel block... it just didn't work.

Sasuke's face turned rather sour at this, while Sakura to her credit fought down a blush. Whether this be over her crush or possible embarrassment, Naruto did not know.

"No dobe, what me and Sakura were actually just doing was a new form of interpretive dance. You should try it some time." Sasuke said with a scowl as he rolled his eyes not bothering to look at the blonde.

Naruto smiled a bit at the concept of having something that was actually consistent pop up in his life, his rivalry with his teammate, "Well I can't practice with you if that is interpretive dance. I already showed everyone that I'm out of your league in the finals." Naruto said snickering slightly, and much to his surprise he didn't have to back away from an incoming punch from Sakura. In fact his pink haired teammate looked a bit amused at his comment. Naruto was enjoying how things were going with his team for once.

Before Sasuke could bother figuring out a retort to Naruto's statement, the blonde asked, "So how much have you guys been training then? Better yet, I thought you both..." Naruto paused, "Well I thought Sasuke hated you." he said gesturing to Sakura quite bluntly not bothering to choose more sensitive words on the subject. Tact was never Naruto's strong suit.

Sakura smiled weakly, "I actually just realized that I could be dead... or worse in this lifestyle. I either had to quit or adapt. So I just started training..." She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair that had once again began growing out. "Nothing like a painful constant reminder of your... life or death experience to force you to get into training." she said weakly.

Naruto sighed as he looked up towards the sun before saying, "Well tell me about it everything that's happened. I mean... we got nothing but time right?"

"Alright... well first off there is..."

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"Neji!" Came a female cry from a training ground. If one were to look at the two, one would the a couple of teenagers rolling around on the ground, while the female screamed the male's name. It was quite an intense scene for anyone passing by to see. However eventually the rolling around came to a stop with a brown haired female holding Neji's hands above his head.

"Neji... why are you doing this? You need rest. You don't have to keep pushing yourself so hard..." Tenten said sadly as she held the boy down.

"Get off me Tenten." Neji said in a cold voice as he turned his head to the side, away from his teammate.

"No Neji! Not until you tell me why you keep pushing yourself so damn hard. Every day, you have me out here with you training. I am even sacrificing hours at my dad's shop to help you, and you aren't telling my anything. You are supposed to be in a hospital bed recovering, and taking it easy..." she said rather frantically as she looked at her teammate.

Neji refused to meet his teammate's eyes, and being the more physically strong of the two merely lifted himself off of the ground after forcing his hands free. "I am fine Tenten." Neji said with little emotion as he walked over to the edge of where they were training.

"Neji! You know I want to help you... why wont you tell me anything?" Tenten at this point, with this being nearly the 2nd week in a row of non-stop constant training day by day... she was far beyond the point of caring about sounding like a whining child. She was now extremely worried about Neji's physical condition.

Neji didn't respond, as he got himself into a read position. "Again!" he yelled out across the training ground.

Tenten frowned, "Neji are you sure you don't need a break?" she asked as they moved in closer for another spar. She knew her teammate would never admit it, he had far too much pride to do that. However she knew that he was in pain, particularly since every false step he would take, he would wince ever slightly. Every time he dodged, he would grit his teeth. This wasn't right.

Neji dodged an incoming attack from Tenten by dodging to the left before he counter attacked his teammate. Yet his attack... all of his attacks were to no avail. His teammate was just that much more skilled then him. That was why he wasn't surprised that within moments, he was shot backwards by a well place blow from Tenten, which only served for her to nearly scream in freight.

"No! That's it! We're done!" she yelled as she saw her teammate his the ground quite painfully, on a rock that was out of place but serve to give Neji a nice scratch on the outside of his thigh. She ran over towards her fallen teammate in a bit of a panic. An act that elicited a laugh from Neji's lips, despite his mild pain. "Hey are you alright?" she said as she slid down next to Neji before looking at his tattered clothing and bleeding leg.

"I'm fine Tenten..." Neji said with a sigh, "However I think your right... we should be done for the day." He said as he did his best to give a weak smile, but he was failing miserably.

Tenten nodded, thanking Kami that her teammate had decided to stop pushing himself and training for a full day for once.

Neji sat up with a groan, but didn't fall back down to the ground with the assistance of Tenten gently rubbing his back and holding his hand in an effort to help him stand.

"Tenten?" Neji addressed his teammate slowly as he looked at her with burrowing white eyes. Tenten turned to her teammate expectantly, and Neji said, "Can you get my sword... and help me get to my apartment?" he asked in a strained voice.

Tenten chuckled a bit, but none the less let go of the boy's hand and gathered the two swords the had formerly been sparring with before rushing back to her teammate and running his arm over her shoulder before she assisted in walking him home. "You know you don't have to train like this Neji... you could always... settle down or something you know?"

Neji tensed slightly as they continued to walk, and reached up towards his face with a tired hand. It was then that he adjusted his shinobi headband that he had situated in front of his eyes, completely covering him. Although this act had caused Neji to stop moving, which in turn caused Tenten to turn and look at him. All of this caused the proclaimed branch family genius to flush in mild embarrassment, "Sorry the headband started to itch... I am not completely used to it yet." He said quietly before moving again with the assistance of Tenten.

"You know... I mean what I said Neji. You could settle down, you don't have to keep doing this to yourself..."

Neji said nothing for quite awhile before he spoke and said, "No Tenten, I do have to do this..." he said as he unconsciously touched where he had been wounded in the finals by Naruto.

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Naruto clenched his teeth as he heard about the bits and pieces of information that happened to Neji while he was out of the village. He hated the feeling of being the main source of someone's pain, even if the two of them didn't get along... at all.

"It has been pretty rough for Neji-san ever since the finals..." Sakura began as both she and Naruto opted to sit down by the stream that ran under the bridge that team seven met at. Sasuke on the other hand had taken to a tree above the group. He was close enough to hear the conversation, and frankly that was all Naruto really thought he cared about. The Uchiha was probably as bored as they usually were constantly waiting for their sensei to show up.

"After you match with Neji in the finals, it has been rumored it really did a number on him Naruto..." Sakura began as she massaged several bruises on her arms. "Supposedly when you got him with that final attack in the exam, the attack damaged or pierced through part of his chakra circuitry and made it impossible to produce chakra in his right hand's finger tips. The injury essentially made his taijutsu completely useless, and all of his training in life had been for nothing." Sakura said with a frown as she extended her leg completely pushing a rock into the stream.

Naruto frowned as he heard the information. He didn't intend to do all of that when he skewered Neji on the sword. He just wanted to win... after all...

"Yeah... I know the feeling." Naruto said bitterly as he recalled the thoughts going through his head when he realized he couldn't use chakra. Although, he didn't mean to say that out loud. Perhaps it was a momentary lapse of brain fuction.

Sakura looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow at his statement, but opted not to dig deeper. Perhaps her teammate was referencing his academy years. "So yeah... I don't really know all of the details. Yet with the village still in a sort of panic, rumors are continuing to spread. Supposedly Neji was forced to take up Kenjutsu since his taijutsu was no longer an option."

Naruto despite the somber mood couldn't help but grin, "I started a trend I see?" Naruto stated as he looked over to Sakura's sword laying at her side. Naruto's pink hair teammate held down the redness that wanted to rise to her cheeks, and fought it off by gently pushing Naruto with her arm.

"Oh shut up." she said slightly embarrassed. She actually deep down knew one of the reasons she had opted to pick up a sword was because she saw what he could do during the exams. However there was no way she would ever admit that to him.

Naruto continued to grin as he motioned with his hand for Sakura to continue.

"Anyways... supposedly there has been a lot happening with the Hyuuga clan ever since you beat Neji... for example Neji was actually kicked out of the branch family." she said in a voice as if she couldn't exactly even believe what she was saying.

Naruto on the other hand felt his blood run cold, and hoped that this wasn't one of the things that were directly tied to it being his fault Neji got kicked out of his clan.

"Supposedly after your match," She didn't notice Naruto off to the side wince as she mentioned that, "and the invasion, the Hyuuga Elders felt some changes needed to occur in the families. They removed Neji from the branch family because of his inability to use their taijutsu, and the fact that they felt Neji losing to you brought shame upon their clan name. So they cut ties with the boy." Sakura said quietly as she let the information sink in.

Naruto closed his eyes as he processed the rather raw deal Neji got ever since the exam ended. "Has there been anything else interesting like that since I've been gone?" Naruto asked, slightly unsure that he wanted to hear more.

The only sound in the area besides that of the stream was the sound of Sasuke scoffing from high up in the tree.

Naruto would take that as a yes.

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"Back again Ibiki-chan?" called a teasing voice as she heard a metal door open. "I was starting to get tired of spending all of my time with strawberry here."

"Damnit I have red hair you fucking stupid cunt!" yelled a female, and there was the sound of clanking shackles.

"You wouldn't believe how much of a downer she is..." She drawled. She couldn't see where she was, but like a snake, she stuck her tongue out momentarily before leaning in closer to the man that recently entered the room. "She wont even let me nibble on her ears!" She whined.

"Like hell I'd let you touch my you fucking sick pedophile!" the red head screamed again, she too was blindfolded, hanging in the corner of the cell.

"Oh?" the snake like woman asked, "You probably didn't have a problem when my sensei got a bit too touchy... Tayuya-chan. After all he did like them young." She said, her words mere breaths rolling off her lips. "They are easier to mold at that age." She said as she licked her lips. "So tell me, what was it? Seven? Or eight?" she said with a toothy grin despite not being able to see the girl's reaction. It was the sheer sake of being able to anger the girl that was making the whole process enjoyable.

"Anko, I believe that is enough. After all I am to be interrogating you as well." Ibiki said sternly as he removed both blindfolds from Anko and the red head dubbed 'Tayuya-chan'.

"But Ibiki-chan that isn't very nice." Anko said with a gleam in her eye, "These cuffs are starting to hurt, and you haven't even fed me any... balls..." she said with a pause as she exagerated a tongue gesture which served to disgust the red head beside her, "Of dango." the purple haired shinobi finished with a grin.

Ibiki look mildly amused an took a clipboard off of the one of the bars in the corner of the room and began to scan the contents of a paper on it.

"I could always show you those fun tricks my sensei taught me about using your tongue." Anko said innocently looking away.

Ibiki to his credit didn't even flinch at the prospect, "That's fine Anko. I will make sure to pass on the message to Kurenai-san that you wish to show her those tongue tricks you learned from Orochimaru."

Anko went wide eyed, "What!" she yelled, any atmosphere she was formerly trying to create was completely shattered.

Ibiki held back his amusement, and mere turned to the purple haired woman, "Hmm? Did you say something?"

Anko opened and closed her mouth for a moment before glaring at the scarred man before her.

Ibiki paid it no mind, "Control your emotions Anko. You are still a long way off before you reach my level." Ibiki said calmly as his eyes burrowed into his purple haired friend.

Anko gave a hiss of frustration, "You know this is bullshit Ibiki!" She said throwing away any restraint she was having before. "I haven't been out of here in days, I have been tempted to fucking drink piss. You know I hate my sensei and I would never rat out Konoha to him. So when the hell can I get out of here."

Tayuya opted to stay silent in the corner. If this woman was going to tempt their interrogator, then so be it. However she wasn't about to take the fall for the actions of her stupid cell mate.

Ibiki said nothing as he allowed his friend to rant on.

"You have no idea how... how frustrated I am down here!" she said with a scowl, "And it isn't even looking like I am going to get out of here. I could be telling the truth right to your faces, and you wouldn't believe me anyways." Anko growled out as she shook against her restraints.

Ibiki shook his head, "I have sent in my report stating I believe you don't have anything to do with it Anko. However... you don't particularly have the most favorable reputation." Ibiki said with a bit of a smirk. "So I imagine you will be released whenever the woman working the desk at sorting the mission reports gets around to sorting your interrogation file."

Anko's face went pale, "Erm wait..." she looked like a person whom just realized that they were likely screwed, "I think I slept with her boyfriend..."

Ibiki nodded in amusement, "Yes Anko... you were bragging about it for days." he said as he turned to the red head. "Anyways, miss... Tayuya. I will give you the choice. Bamboo splinters? Or wire lacerations?"

The red head clenched her fists that hung above her head shackled. She should of never followed Orochimaru-sama into the invasion... especially if this would have been the outcome.

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Naruto shook his head as he walked down the street with a small grin on his face. He couldn't help but feel a bit happy for his team. The fact that they were getting along was a huge improvement, and in general would make his time easier. It was almost... relaxing spending time with them in contrast to how stressful it used to be... like during their Wave mission or the Forest of Death.

Yet still... Naruto couldn't shake the heavy feeling in his gut as he recalled the first words that came out of Sakura's mouth when he asked her if there was anything else that happened over the month.

_Let me just say... Hinata has had to go through quite the change..._

Naruto frowned at that. Hinata had always been someone whom was kind to him. To be fair he felt that she was rather weird. Although with his more recent experience, he knew he probably wouldn't be too far off with assuming the girl had a crush on him. After all, minus the fainting, he remembered a time when he was quite shy around Mei... before she stabbed him in the back.

Regardless, Naruto could only wish Sakura had more information about Hinata. All she really knew was that Hinata was forced to go into a rather brutal training regimen with her father. Beyond that, not much had been heard from the girl.

Naruto made his way into the nearest training ground, intent on relaxing the rest of the day. Kakashi had shown up late as usual, but was rather tense upon sight on Naruto, and was quick to say he had things he needed to take care of, and that they should just train.

Naruto absentmindedly thought he pulled what he liked to call a "Sasuke" seeing as how the moment Kakashi had left the team, Naruto had decided to wander off. Naruto knew he had to train to keep up his skills, but it was just one of the things he didn't really know how to start himself... at all. That was probably his biggest set back as a shinobi. He didn't know where to start training. In theory he could go to the library? However they didn't really have information on jutsus, more so just random amounts of knowledge that Naruto felt would rarely prove to be that useful.

Naruto didn't realize just exactly where he stopped, his body was just on auto-pilot. Yet as he walked onto the field and sat down on a familiar large rock overlooking a lake, he realized just where exactly he was. He was exactly where he met Mei, where they trained together, where his life changed... for better or for worse.

Naruto held in a laugh as he smiled at some of the memories. Despite what Mei did to him, he could never truly forget what she also did for him. Naruto sighed as he leaned back cracking his neck before unfastening his gauntlet that had nearly become second nature to have it on. He really didn't even notice the thing anymore. Although when he unfastened it, he had to admit while his skin that was covered by the gauntlet was paler... there was just something off. Rather large, but quite faded... scars? Many of them along his arm, they were barely visible, but he felt that they were quite odd. Perhaps they were just a rather weak rather that he had never taken notice of formerly?

Naruto stepped out onto the water and summoned up several water clones before he ran a hand through the air, forcing a water sword to come to life before it fell into Naruto's grip. He had to see if he had fallen out of practice after the time he had taken off due to his chakra problem that was only recently solved.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he let the battle again. He could only hope it would be a good one.

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Hyuuga Hanabi was needless to say having a bad day. In fact, she was having a bad past couple weeks. To say nothing in her life was going right would be an understatement. She was quite ready to lash out at anyone on the way to her destination.

It all started with the invasion, and her clan. She hated her clan... but more importantly she hated her family. Why did she hate them? Because she was the youngest. Age had never been an issue for Hanabi. She had been raised that in life it didn't matter how old you were, it mattered how skilled you were. It was never about how much older her sister Hinata was. In truth it was barely more then a year. Her sister sitting happily around the age of fifteen, where as Hanabi was only behind Hinata by a mere year.

However in the eyes of her clan... that was all that mattered. The invasion had sprouted up concerns... insecurities within the Hyuuga clan. Hanabi believed them to be a bunch of old fearful bigots, however she could never say that to their face. Especially since this was merely a new found belief on her part that came to the surface in the past couple weeks.

The Hyuuga Elders believed that it was a safety hazard to have two children running around without the caged bird seal. The nice term for the Hyuuga families slavery seal.

Hanabi scowled at the thought and clenched her fists as she walked down the street roughly bumping into a random male civilian causing his to drop all of his groceries. On a normal day... perhaps she would of cared. However these past few days when it has been brought to her attention that she will more than likely be the one being marked with the... insulting... demeaning caged bird seal? She could care less about the fickle matters such as grocery shopping.

The thought! The idea that her clan would give her! The talented one the caged bird seal? It was infuriating. She had been raised her entire life to believe that the strong prevail? Her sister wasn't strong! She was weak! She was pathetic. Every fight she had ever been in, she lost, with the match not even being close. The thought that they were going to make her the heiress of the main family when she was the one that had gotten hospitalized by a branch member in pure Hyuuga style combat?

Hanabi unconsciously activated her byakugan in anger. Something that she quickly shut off after squeezing her eyes shut, and continuing her enraged march down towards the far reaches of Konoha.

To Hanabi this was a betrayal of the highest order. She had never broken a rule! She had followed the rules and standards of the Hyuuga family perfectly. She was top of her class as she went through the academy. She was light years ahead of the students, and she was even being considered as an early graduate and a temporary replacement for that spandex kid on her cousin's team.

Yet... her sister was the ideal choice for becoming the heiress... not because she was more skilled. Not because she followed the rules better. Not because she made a better reputation for the clan... No... She was chosen because she was simply older.

Hanabi gave a snarl at the notion, but quickly made a turn for the training grounds as she noticed the action attracted quite the attention of people on the streets of Konoha.

Perhaps... perhaps she should permanently injure her sister. Perhaps then her clan's foolish elders would see the error of their ways. It wasn't like her sister was good for anything anyways. She had been on a genin team for months, and Hanabi was still able to walk all over her sister during their spars.

Hanabi resisted the urge to groan as she realized that these past few days had only been growing worse and worse. Perhaps Kami had it out for her? Here she was, heading to train, to prove to everyone that in the shinobi world age doesn't mean a damn thing, it doesn't warrant respect and that Strength does! Yet the clouds gathering overhead, the light sprinkling coming down. She looked down at her attire with a sigh. She would undoubtedly be training in the rain while wearing a black sleeveless top with fishnet underneath. Her black shinobi pants that don't even reach completely down to her ankles wouldn't serve much help either.

She Turned onto the first training ground she came to, blinking away the small water droplets that would occasionally hit her eyes. Although when she arrived, she raised an eyebrow in mild surprise with whom she saw. Perhaps Kami wasn't... completely against her after all?

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Naruto sighed as he allowed his water sword to revert back into water. Despite his time he had to take away from training, he was still in quite good shape. In fact, if he had to guess. He was probably in better shape then before. All of the running he had done, for whatever reasons the past few days was all unassisted by chakra. He had just went through a gauntlet of easily fifty water clones that he made sure weren't going to stand back and pussy foot with him. He made sure they tried to overpower him with sheer overwhelming force. It truly put his sword skills to the test.

He rolled his shoulders gently as he let the rain drops hit his body. For as long as he could remember, he didn't get cold. He always felt as if his body was running a bit hotter then normal, and that simple rain wouldn't really chill him. Ice water on the other hand... well that was a different story. However luckily there were no situations like that around the Land of Fire.

Naruto spun around in an instant as he heard a break of a twig, and the sound of metal rolling on a rock. He knew exactly what it was, and there was no way in hell he was going to let some punk kid snatch up his gauntlet.

Although when Naruto turned around he was mildly surprised to see a girl, fairly decent size, perhaps a year or so younger then him sitting on the rock next to where he was training. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the girl wasn't trying to blatantly steal his stuff. Although his calm was relatively short as he soon took in the girl's hair and eyes. The pale whites and a blank staring right back at him made it blatantly obvious just whom the girl must be.

_'A main branch Hyuuga...'_ Naruto thought a bit dryly. Was he really going to get chewed out about what happened to Neji by this girl? Sure he felt slightly guilty about the boy's injuries, but Naruto knew if he didn't have the Kyuubi in his gut the attacks he received prior to the exam could have been quite deadly. There was no reason to take it easy on the white eyed asshole.

Naruto couldn't really explain the situation, or perhaps the temptation in the back of his mind. Yet it didn't stop his actions. He disappeared from the girl's vision with a replacement jutsu with a small rock located behind where the girl was sitting. He then hefted himself up onto the stone by placing his hand on the girl's shoulder before flopping down next to her. "I usually charge for lessons you know?" Naruto said. He couldn't even really place where he had heard the saying before. Yet he knew he had heard someone say it to him.

The girl appeared to be quite surprised by the sudden disappearance, and reappearing act behind her. She was quite tense at the fact that the boy had been able to completely be behind her in a matter of seconds, yet opened her mouth to speak. "You're Uzumaki Naruto right?" she asked, appearing quite confident that she had the right person.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps..." he said slowly, "Why?"

The girl paid no mind to the not committal answer the blonde gave and said seriously, "Because I need you to train me."

"Sure thing 'Miss No Name'!" Naruto exclaimed as he rolled his eyes, "I will totally train you short stuff!"

The young girl began to fume further and further as she sat with the boy until the short comment was the last straw, "I have a name you moron!"

Naruto scowled at the insult from the girl and got in her face which caused her to back her body up quickly in a flinch, "Really then? What is it?" Naruto asked as his eyes burrowed into hers.

Naruto's comment caused the young Hyuuga to flush in embarrassment at the situation, and curse herself for her own stupidity. She is asking someone to train her by calling the person a moron by not knowing her name, a name she never gave in the first place.

"You should know of me, Hyuuga Hanabi." the girl said confidently, "The strongest of the Hyuuga heirs." she said confidently with a smirk. She knew the boy would be rather surprised once he realized just whom she was. Most people were. After all she didn't go out much, but everyone knew about the Hyuuga clan, and their heirs.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the girl next to him, "Oh?" he asked as he scratched his cheek for a moment, "So you are Hinata's younger sister right?"

Hanabi went tense and clenched her hands on her clothes in her lap as a silence reigned between the two as they sat in the rain. Hanabi's didn't really care that her hair was falling into face. All she could do was play the words that Naruto said over and over in her head. _'Oh? So you are Hinata's younger sister right?'_

Hanabi squeezed her eyes shut and did her best to bite back her anger. She had never been addressed, in her entire life as a person whom lived in her sister's shadow. Yet she was Hinata's "younger" sister.

'_Only in age...'_ Hanabi thought to herself sourly. _'My sister is to soft, she doesn't even want to fight... she submerses herself in fantasies to escape the realities of her life.' _she peered over to the boy next to her through her cascading hair, and sourly thought of her sister's crush on the boy. _'I am the one that sees what the world is really like...'_ she thought as she scratched her legs through her pants.

Naruto in the meantime was slightly unnerved by the silence of the girl beside him. Did he get it wrong? Was she not Hinata's sister? "Hey are you alright?" he asked as he looked down at her clenching fists.

Hanabi grit her teeth at the question and angrily brushed the hair out of her face before turning to the blonde. "My name is Hanabi!" She yelled letting out all of the pent up anger that had gathered over the past few days. She had lived her entire life being hailed as something akin to a genius. The better of the two possible heirs of the clan. The one that embodied the idea of a Hyuuga. Then all of this came crashing down on her as she was cast into the shadows of her sister ever since the invasion.

"It's Hanabi!" she continued, doing her best to hold back a couple tears formed in anger. "Hyuuga Hanabi! Not the Hyuuga's younger heir! Not Hinata's little sister! It is Hanabi damnit!" she was at this point full blown yelling at the boy beside her, whom could only stare back with rather wide eyes at the outburst.

Naruto opened and closed his mouth, trying to think of what to say. "Okay... damn..." he said slowly doing his best not to laugh at the situation. "Are you mental?" he asked clearly still surprised by her outburst.

Although this proved to be the wrong thing to say as the young girl gave a cry of rage and pushed the boy as hard as she could off to the side of the rock they were sitting on. Naruto tried to reach out and grab something to keep him up, but severely failed when the thing he grabbed was his gauntlet, an act that only served to throw his balance off even more sending him sprawling until he tripped over a root and landed on his ass against a tree, and pleasantly out of the rain.

He looked up with a huge grin. Give it a different day, perhaps he would of been angry. Perhaps he would of attacked the girl back. However... the situation was just so ridiculous he couldn't even stop himself from chuckling a bit. "Was that really necessary?" Naruto asked a bit incredulously as the girl stormed over to him through the rain, strands of hair sticking to her face.

Naruto was ready to react in an instant if need be when he saw the girl reach into her shirt but not below the fishnet and withdrew an impressively concealed kunai. Hanabi walked up to Naruto, and the closer she got to him, the more Naruto tensed. Every step she took, she started leaning down until she got right before the blonde. At that point she got over his leg and straddled it as she extended her hand with a kunai aiming it at Naruto's throat.

Naruto didn't know how far the girl would take it, and as such he was quite quick to bring up a hand and stop any further descent with the kunai. The girl was close enough as is. She was practically sitting on his leg with a hand on his bare chest and a kunai at his throat. Perhaps if Hanabi wasn't... crying in apparent rage, the position between the two would be quite... kinky? As Naruto held the girl's wrist tightly, he stared her in the face before flicking the girl in the forehead, slightly irritated with the situation. "Hanabi..." he said as he addressed her looking the girl in the eye, "What is killing my over getting your name wrong going to do for you?" Naruto asked as the situation was utterly ridiculous.

Although he wasn't prepared for what happened next. The girl just broke down before him, in complete slow motion. The quivering of her lip, the blinking as tears that had been initially masked quite well by her wet hair fell from her eyes. She sniffed a bit as she slumped forward, her forehead impacting on Naruto's chest. Not even a moment later he felt warm tears started to fall onto his body. She had since loosened her grip on the kunai, and let it slide out of her hand making the slightest sound as it speared into the ground beside Naruto.

Naruto laid his head back against the tree and sighed as he recalled personal moments in his life that he knew looked quite like this. Like when he was a kid that didn't understand why everyone disliked him, and he was just lost in the world. He would occasionally break down and cry on even a complete stranger when the stress and confusion had built up enough. Although... he wasn't going to push the girl away until he figured out what the problem was.

He didn't want to be like how everyone else was to him, particularly in his time of need.

Naruto took a deep breath before leaning his head forward a bit to look at the crying girl. He had never been actually comforted in a situation like this, but he did his best to do what felt natural. After all, sometimes blatant inaction is worse the complete abandonment.

Naruto gently took the few strands from the girl's face and tucked them behind her ear before he took to gently rubbing her back and running a hand softly over her head. He could only hope that the situation would be over soon, so he could at least figure out the problem.

He laid his head back, but continued to rub the girl's back as he closed his eyes.

He never intended for sleep to take him...

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Alright that wraps up this chapter. As I am sure many of you may of guessed, Hanabi will become a bigger character in this story. I have altered her age to being only a year younger than Hinata as I am sure many of you have noticed. Although I hope this doesn't provoke needless crying. Hanabi has only about 3 lines in the actual series, me changing her age wouldn't have any significance on the actual series(as long as I kept her younger than Hinata, which I have.)

Anyways the idea for this chapter was something I have always wanted to do, but never really saw happen. Konoha was invaded by two different countries. While the invasion was an utter failure, it didn't showcase any after effects that lasted on the village. So that is what I really wanted to show with this chapter.

There will probably be comments on Sakura's clothing and personality, or Hanabi's abrupt encounter with Naruto and Naruto not really... fighting against her. Understandable. However I wrote around 10k words yesterday, and didn't really know how to end the chapter. I knew I wasn't going to sit around a post around a 12k word chapter. So I had to figure out where to end it.

Everyone appears to be relatively curious about Naruto and Mei,(justly so). She will be appearing in the story once again soon enough.

Now two questions.

**1: I have realized that I sort of need to give Naruto some form of a taijutsu style. I don't want him to be like useless if he isn't able to draw on his water sword. However my problem is, I don't know what to give him. I don't want to give him something that feels incredibly bland (Karate), I don't want to give him something that I think is rather corny (Ca poiera, probably spelled wrong), or something just crazy unrealistic(Mishima fighting stlye from the Tekken series would be an example.)**

**So if you can give a review mentioning a fighting style that you think would fit Naruto, please do. If you can reference a character from a video game or another anime, even better. Nothing too bland, but nothing too over the top please.**

**2: What do you guys think about Naruto leaving Konoha? (The plot is sort of already set in stone, but I am curious to what you all think about the prospect.) If you had him leave, where would you have him go and why?**

EDIT: The reason why this chapter wasn't posted sooner was because my account was blocked from posting chapters because of chapter 11 being an AN(which has now been replaced with an Omake because I am still using those reviews as a reference). So beyond this point I wont be posting any ANs that answer possible questions. So if you guys have any questions or concerns just put them in a review and I will do my best to get back to all of you.**  
**


	14. Remembering The Meaning of True Strength

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Naruto awoke quickly as he was violently shaken from his sleep. "Hey!" the voice cried, one he couldn't entirely recognize with how groggy he was after just waking up. All he knew was he was quite warm, and almost comfy despite the hard surface he must have fallen asleep on.

"Hey!" the voice called again as he felt someone lightly slapping his cheek, "Wake up damnit." he could now discern that it was a significantly female voice. Although he had yet to confirm since he hadn't opened his eyes yet. Although he opened his eyes wide the moment he felt someone's fist impact on his chest quite violently.

That was when he recognized just what exactly was on top of him keeping him so warm. The younger black haired girl partially curled up in his lap whispering harshly every few seconds towards him.

Naruto groaned and turned his head to the side, it was too early for this type of shit to be happening to him. "What..." he drawled out as he yawned.

This action served for him to only get hit on the chest repeatedly like he was some sort of drum, "Damnit look around you damn idiot!" she yelled nearly directly in his ear.

Naruto scowled at this, that action got him fully awake. However in quite the unpleasant mood. Naruto turned to the black haired girl and looked her in the eye with a dangerous glint in his eyes. An action that caused her to flinch. Although there was one thing that was rather odd about the girl, she had her byakugan activated. This only served to make him feel uncomfortable and naked at the prospect of the girl on top of him seeing right through his clothes.

All of his thoughts came to a halt when he was able to take in the full situation. The girl on top of him was likely scared, and had her byakugan activated as a defense mechanism. Naruto sat up straight and pushed the girl against his chest, trying to get her behind him. However it appeared their legs hadn't fully untangled from the odd sleeping arrangements they had the night before.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked at the large cloud of sand floating in front of Hanabi. Occasionally it would create a face out of the sand and move in closer like it was going to eat her or something. Although upon her flinching and shivering against Naruto's body, the cloud would back up and just float around the two. It was taunting the girl.

Naruto grit his teeth at that and jabbed his fist forward that was usually covered by a gauntlet and sighed. He wanted to say something to the damn raccoon, but if he mentioned anything about the tailed beast in front of one of the Hyuuga Heiresses it was probably just going to lead to bad news. Naruto's fist impacted on the sand, piercing through the cloud just slightly, and that was when Naruto raised an eyebrow. The sand began to crawl, every grain like ants on his skin. Slowly but surely the cloud of sand covered Naruto's entire left arm with tiny little grains. Naruto didn't know what to make of the action, but he did hiss in mild pain as the sand began to create a long series of markings that covered a good portion of Naruto's left arm all the way up to his shoulder.

'_These are the markings from Shukaku's body...' _Naruto thought dryly as he realized he was going to need to be wearing that gauntlet every time he went out. Otherwise people would get curious about his... tattoos. Perhaps there would be a way for him to get rid of them?

He was brought out of his thoughts by Hanabi mumbling to herself and touching his chest through various pokes and prods like he was some sort of alien. "This... this shouldn't even be possible. You have three different chakras..." she said slowly, completely ignoring the looks she was receiving from the boy. She gently ran her hand over his stomach, before going up his chest to his heart, and then finishing by sliding her hand over to his left arm. Curiosity got the better of her, and her white eyes momentarily tensed as she got two fingers and gave Naruto a simple poke that closed a tenketsu in his arm.

Naruto hadn't said anything until this happened, and was quick to jerk his leg up, an action that caused her tangled body to fall back to the ground on her back, "Ahhh bitch!" he yelled in frustration. He had never actually been hit by a Hyuuga attack that was aimed to close a tenketsu. He thought they were supposed to be painless? It felt like his arm wanted to blow off, at least until he focused on the pain and tried to relax which quickly caused the pain to stop.

The girl's eyes widened when he did this, but he didn't acknowledge it. Instead he opted to tell her... "You... need to leave." Naruto said suddenly as he stared at the girl who was currently propped up on her arms, but still laying on her back.

"Wait?" she asked confused, not exactly letting the straight forward statement sink in. "Why?"

Naruto said nothing and just began to lift himself off of the ground, looking towards the exit of the training ground.

Hanabi apparently catching where his gaze was aimed caught on and sat up quickly, getting off her back and grabbed Naruto's sash and leg. "Hey you can't leave. I need you to train me!" she had tried to hold the same confidence in her voice that she had the other day. However it was just a hard thing to do after realizing you are asking a favor from someone you pushed around before you fell asleep on top of them.

Naruto gave a light laugh at that, "No you don't." He said as he picked his gauntlet up off the ground and began to fasten it onto his tattoo'd arm. It was already annoying the fact that someone he didn't particularly know, and could be considered more of an enemy then a friend had seen his arm.

Naruto tried to take a step forward, but only scowled when he realized in order to take a step forward her had to lift an extra hundred pounds with one leg. Needless to say, he wasn't going to be going anywhere. "Do you find some sort of perverted satisfaction in clinging to me with your body?" Naruto asked in frustration.

The girl, much like her sister flushed in embarrassment. Although instead of fainting or stuttering she merely opted to still hold onto the boy as she got herself up off the ground giving him a defiant glare. She at first was about to pull the "You should feel honored to be asked to train one of the Hyuuga Main branch members." Yet the more she thought about it, the more she figured that the blonde standing in front of her wouldn't feel honored in the slightest.

"No..." she said as she finally got herself off the ground, responding to his earlier question. "So again, I need you to train me."

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Why him? There were probably countless people around the village that would be willing to train her. Why was _he_ getting her attention? "Why do you need me to train you?" he asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Hanabi held back a childish cheer and said, "Some personal reasons... However you are the only person I know who has beaten a Hyuuga in close combat."

Naruto had tuned her out after she said personal reasons and shrugged his shoulders at her, "Well whatever you reasons may be..." he said as he pried her hand off of him, "I'm not training you."

Hanabi turned to stone in an instant and grabbed the boy's hand in hers quickly, "Why!" she yelled only to flush in embarrassment with how loud she was. The boy was after all right in front of her.

Naruto at this point grit his teeth in anger at the fact that the girl wouldn't leave him alone, and took his other hand to push the girl off of him, "Damnit do I need a reason?" he yelled at the girl whom slid back a couple paces.

"I don't know you! You attacked me! You're constantly yelling at me! You had some sort of mental breakdown on my chest last night! Hyuuga's are not my favorite people! You keep demanding that I train you. Damnit shall I continue?" Naruto said this all on one breath. Naruto inhaled through his nose, it almost gave him the image of if he exhaled through his nose he may have appeared like some sort of fire breathing dragon. "I have my own things to take care of... my own training to take care of. You haven't given me a single reason as to why I should even train you."

Naruto prepared to walk away until it suddenly hit him like a bag of bricks why this situation was so similar. He looked at Hanabi's almost pleading eyes and he was instantly taken back to a time during his training with Mei.

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_"That is enough Naruto-kun." came the relaxed voice of the auburn haired woman. She was relaxing quietly on a tree stump beside the lake. Her student had been practicing constantly with several clones at creating the water dragon with a single hand seal. It was widely believed to be a nearly impossible feat. However given the fact that the boy was showing any progress at all? Well it only could mean that perhaps Uzumaki Naruto was going to achieve what was widely believed to be nearly impossible._

_A wet clothed Naruto game up with a grin on his face as he rubbed a slightly damp towel over his hair. It was doing it's job. It left the boy's hair quite ruffled though with random split ends everywhere. However that was nothing that wouldn't be fixed when the hair was actually completely dry._

_Naruto sat down on the ground beside the blue clothed woman only for her to lightly tap his shoulder urging him to scoot over between the woman's legs. Naruto already used to the gesture through his time training with the woman merely complied. After all, she had never given him a reason not to trust her, or not to listen to her._

_The woman smiled as the boy slide over, and under her lifted leg to get between her legs. Perhaps if she didn't want to risk scaring the boy off, the position could have been a bit more satisfying... Although that wasn't what she was here for with the boy._

_Mei gently took her elegant hands and fingers and bent forward slowly, some of her hair cascading over as her face came close to Naruto's. She extended her hands down his chest that had become all the more defined as their training continued. She dragged her nails teasingly along the skin as she lifted herself back up and brought her hands to the boy's shoulders. She began to rub and knead the shoulders carefully, releasing any tension the boy may have worked up through training. She soon was moving one hand up towards the back of his neck while another went up towards his hair, pulling him down a bit as she ran a hand soothingly through his wet hair._

_Naruto moaned lightly at the heaven he was feeling as Mei's hands expertly worked over his body._

_"So Naruto-kun, do you have anything you want to talk about while you are on your break?" she asked by whispering into the boy's ears. The action sent mild shivers throughout the boy's body. However there was one question that had been plaguing his mind, ever since he had found Mei._

_"Umm yeah..." he began as he close his eyes and leaned his head back. "Why... why did you give me the time of day Mei? When you saw me, why didn't you write me off like everyone else?" he asked with a frown, but he refused to open his eyes. Afraid that if he did, he would see something like disappointment or disapproval on the face of the one person that really accepted him, for him unconditionally._

_"Well Naruto..." Mei began with a frown rapidly trying to pick and choose her words carefully. "This may come off rather rude, and just know that... I am not like the other people alright Naruto? I do care about you, and I will always be here for you." She said as she used one hand to caress the boy's cheek._

_"It comes down to people in life Naruto. People always look for others that will be useful to them, instinctively. Otherwise, why would they want to waste their time with someone whom will be of no use? You were two things when we met Naruto. Number one, you were clingy. There was an air of desperation about you, and there is a saying in life that 'Desperation only attracts vultures' Naruto."_

_Mei instantly held back a clenching at her heart when she realized what she had just said, and she could only hope the boy would read too far into that statement. Quickly, she chose to continue on with her example, keen on not allowing that quote to be the final note of this conversation. "Then secondly, you were of little use to people back when we met. In life it isn't about people going out looking for the most useful person they can find Naruto. It is merely that they have to think about choices. Most people have obligations to their existing friends and families. I am sure you have noticed that ever since you met me and started training with me, your free time has reduced drastically. People have routines that they follow daily that take up most of their time. You would need to make it worth someone's while if you want them to take their time to consolidate in you rather then consolidate with their already existing relationships._"

_Naruto's expression soured considerably when he heard this, "Wait then does this mean you only approached me because you felt I was useful to you?" Naruto asked sadly, not really wanting to believe the conclusions he was coming to._

_Mei was glad that the boy had his eyes closed so he couldn't see her eyes. She bent down and kissed the top of the boy's head and said, "Of course not Naruto. I just saw something everyone in your village refused to see in you." She whispered warmly in his ear._

_Naruto's eyes opened a bit in surprise when she said that, "ReallY? What was it?" Naruto asked barely containing his smile at the prospect that his conclusions about Mei weren't right._

_"Potential Naruto-kun." She said as she once again kissed him on the top of his forehead before she gently tapped his shoulders. "Come on now, back to training." she said with a grin._

_Naruto was quick to get up, but before he took off back down onto the lake. He turned to Mei with a smile and gave her a nod._

_Mei returned the smile and gave the young boy a wink, despite the uneasy feeling that settled deep inside of her gut._

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Naruto snapped out of the memory and found himself still staring at Hanabi. A frown crept onto his face as he looked at the girl and repeated what Mei said in his head. _'Desperation only attracts vultures' _Naruto thought to himself a bit painfully.

Although the memory also made him realize one key thing that truly made him different then everyone else. A single key fact that made him look at Hanabi different then anyone else would. It wasn't that the girl may be skilled. It wasn't that her family was rich. No it was simple... he had no one. He had no relationships with people that he really needed to consolidate with. His free time was endless, and he thought back to a conversation he had on his first real mission. His conversation with Haku. The various things Haku had told him during his stay in Wave. During their fight...

_"When a person... has something important they want to protect... that's when they can become truly strong."_

_"Can you understand? Not having a dream... not being needed by anyone... The pain of merely being alive."_

_"I realised the most painful thing... That in this world... my existence was not needed."_

Naruto clenched his fists as he recalled what Haku had said to him. Haku believed that a person was truly strong when the defended those that were precious to them. Haku believed that there in lied a shinobi's true strength.

The realization dawned on Naruto and forced him to swallow a lump in his throat. '_By Haku's account... I'm weak...'_

Naruto had lived his life always wanting to protect and defend others. Whether it be from bullies on a school playground. Or whether it was protecting his enemies from their inner demons. Yet as he spent time with Mei, he came to realize that his "Friends" his "Team"... they weren't close. Sakura in the past would have thrown him in front of a incoming kunai first chance she got if it meant she would get to be with Sasuke as a lover. Sasuke barely cared about anyone... like Mei... he only cared if they were moderately useful to him.

In Haku's eyes, Naruto knew that he may have looked strong. Yet now... he was weak. After all of this time he had spent protecting others, he was finally at a point in his life where he felt there was no one left worth protecting. Maybe... maybe it was time to find someone that he wanted to protect. To forge an actual relationship with someone.

Naruto bit his lip as he looked at the Hyuuga whom was fidgeting slightly under his gaze. She apparently didn't know what to say to his earlier comment, but he knew she didn't want him to leave. Naruto rubbed his bare arm with a sigh before saying. "Fine I can try to teach you... on the condition that you are able to teach me something I can use alright?"

Hanabi open her mouth and the closed it as she suddenly began to put thought to the boy's words. She better have something that she can teach the blonde, especially after all of this arguing. If she couldn't fulfill his only condition... she would feel pathetic. "Erm..." she moaned out slowly as she was quickly falling short in the ideas of what she could teach the boy before her. All of her training had been standard academy stuff, as well as Hyuuga clan techniques. Beyond that... she knew that she was virtually useless to the blonde before her.

Naruto was sometimes a bit slow on the uptake of things, he had to admit that. However he did feel he was getting better about that particularly ever since he had encountered Mei. It didn't take long for him to realize the girl was practically fidgeting on her toes brainstorming something she could teach him in return of him helping her. Yet he knew she was falling short.

"You don't have anything do you?" Naruto asked cutting off her train of thought.

Hanabi pursed her lips in a bit of anger and said, "Erm I do!" She replied quickly. "I am just trying to find out what I want to teach you. That's all." She finished a bit stubbornly.

Naruto just let his lips curve into an amused smirk and he shook his head. He turned around giving a light laugh as he began to make his way into town. '_Who knows... she reminds me a bit of myself. Maybe having her around wont be so bad after all?'_ Naruto thought as he put his hands behind his head.

Upon noticing that Hanabi wasn't following or reaching out to grab at his hand like a leech again, he turned around with a grin, "Hey..." he said towards the white eyed Hyuuga whom had previously been looking at the ground quite dejectedly. "I'm going to my house, then I'm going to the library. Do you want to join me?" Naruto asked the girl with a smile. This only served to get bigger as he saw the black haired girl get a huge grin on her face and moved quite quickly to catch up to him in order to walk side by side.

Naruto took a single look towards the girl whom was walking beside him and gave a weak smile as he looked away continuing his walk to his house. '_The girl even looks a bit like Haku...'_ Naruto thought with a grin as he recalled his enemy that had taught him one of his most valuable life lessons.

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Naruto sighed as he walked in the door of his apartment that was rather clean for once. He had been home quite a bit lately so he had all of the time in the world to tidy up his home. He wasn't the type to honestly give a damn about wearing shoes in the house. Sure he didn't like to be messy. However the idea that a ninja was going to obsess over someone tracking dirt into someone's home when they are either out training or killing people... well that was rather silly in his opinion. He had taken no time in unbuckling his gauntlet as he walked into the house, nearly forgetting about the young Hyuuga girl that was with him. "Make yourself at home!" Naruto called as he made his way into another room that connected to his bathroom.

The hospitality that Naruto was showing surprised Hanabi, and she was idly wondering if this was actually some sort of prank or set up. After all she did attack the blonde not ever twenty-four hours ago. "Wait!" she called out in surprise as she closed the front door, and kicking off her shinobi sandles by the doorway. It was almost comical how she took the time to quickly kneel down and tuck her shoes right by the door in a neat fashion. Something that completely contrasts the small mud prints that were left behind Naruto as he had walked into his own home earlier.

Naruto moved back into the doorway of the room he went into, which nearly caused Hanabi to crash right into his chest.

Hanabi was able to note that each time she saw the blonde he was progressively wearing less and less clothing. His blue sash was now discarded by a wall leading to what appeared to be the bathroom.

"What?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, almost confused as to why the girl had asked him to stop.

"What do you mean what?" The girl asked almost as if the boy she was talking to was insane. "You just invite me into your house like that, you barely even know me? Like what if I was going to steal something... or whatever?" she asked clearly still not believing the hospitality.

Naruto looked at the girl rather amused '_It isn't like I have much to steal...'_ Naruto thought to himself suppressing a chuckle. "Are you here to steal something?" He asked in a jokingly stern voice at how stressed the girl appeared to be getting. However it appeared the girl hadn't caught the humor in his voice as she instantly tensed up before frantically waving her hands.

"No! No I'm not... it is just th-" she was cut off by Naruto who gave her a grin.

"Good! Then I don't have to worry then do I?" He said with a grin as he made his way back into the bathroom, but not closing the door, which only caused Hanabi to follow him once again.

Naruto was currently looking at himself in a mirror above the sink. Or more specifically he was poking and flicking the tattoos that had appeared on his skin, almost as if he had zoned out any other presence in the room in the process. However upon realizing Hanabi had followed him into the bathroom, he did his best not to go stiff. The Shukaku and the Kyuubi were both things he didn't want to talk to people about, and he didn't particularly want to try and find a way to address magically getting tattoos from a cloud of sand with a face if he could help it.

"What are these marki-" Hanabi tried to asked as she reached her hand out, but just before she could touch Naruto he spun quickly onto his other side, effectively removing his arm from her reach.

"You know what Hanabi?" Naruto asked as he leaned back against the counter not wanting the younger girl to continue the question the was about to ask. Naruto tapped his foot quickly, in sync with the drumming of his fingers on the sink counter. He was desperately trying to think of anything he could have the girl do while he was left alone. "You should probably get yourself out of those clothes." Naruto said calmly as he gestured at her damp clothes. "Your skin is pale, and you have been shivering every now and then. I have a box in my bedroom by the side of my bed that has some of my older clothes you can use. I think they may fit you..." He said not exactly sure he would put money on that statement. "You should get changed into them."

Naruto realized he wasn't particularly good with this friend thing... or perhaps it was a girl thing... or a talking thing... he didn't know. All he knew was the young Hyuuga was glaring at him with narrowed eyes, and had crossed her arms over her chest. Although Naruto knew the longer she was looking at him, only meant he was giving her more time to ask him about his arm, a subject he was pretty sure she realized that he was avoiding. Naruto shrugged his shoulders at the girl and said, "Or freeze. It is up to you. However does you standing here still mean you want to watch me undress for my shower?" Naruto asked hoping it would get the girl quickly out of the bathroom.

It did.

Hanabi went almost comically wide eyed the moment he said that he was going to undress, and apparently the only reason he hadn't was because she was standing with the boy. She quickly back peddled out of the room with a flushed face. She had never been so embarrassed in the past few days then she had even been in her life.

Naruto sighed as the girl quickly left the room, and around the corner, likely to his bedroom... or wherever. He didn't particularly care. He hadn't owned anything particularly valuable his entire life. He also never really had a need to keep secrets or hide things because frankly, who was he hiding those things from?

Naruto stripped his clothes within moments and was able to climb into the shower with a sigh. Usually this would be a time to relax for him and run his hands through his hair while he thought about his day. Yet he knew now wasn't the time to relax. He had to make sure that these tattoos weren't going to spread like a cancer and cover his entire body.

Naruto took a couple minutes before he took a deep breath and reached down grabbing a razor... that he rarely ever used. He ran it under the water for a minute before he moved out of the water coming down on him. He closed his eyes with one more breath before taking the razor to his arm, or more specifically a tattoo, and aimed to slice it off.

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"Shit!" was the cry Hanabi heard from Naruto whom was taking a shower. She could only wonder what he was doing in there that would make him yell like that. She had closed the door to Naruto's bedroom since preparing to change. However once she did, she found herself almost mesmerized by the room around her. It was... colorful?

The room had so much... stuff? It was completely different then her life at home. Their family was rather strict when it came to buying things. Her father wouldn't support buying anything beyond clothes. He believed that if they wanted something, they had to save up money themselves to get it. So naturally, their rooms were rather bare when it came to things that may give them any character. Their white walls, with white bed covers and brown dressers were about as much as Hanabi had. Although this was mainly because she had been saving any money she had gained over the years. Since she wasn't officially a ninja yet, she didn't have a source of incoming money. To be honest she was probably rather broke.

So the situation she was in currently was completely foreign to her. She had no friends she could talk to. Although she knew this was because she didn't try to make friends with anyone at the academy. She was better then them. They would run around doing idiotic things like running through the line of a ranged combat battle. Or more importantly, try to start a ranged combat battle, when she was in melee combat with the person already. If she didn't have the byakugan, and didn't see the idiots throw the shurikan or kunai in the first place, she could have been injured badly. No she refused to try and be friends with idiots that were going to make a pathetic excuse of a shinobi one day. It was like her father had always told her. The strong survive, while the weak die.

Hanabi huffed as she pushed the thought of her father out of her mind. His entire philosophy was a joke considering he was going to give her the caged bird seal.

'_Wait then... does that mean my belief... my belief when it comes to making friends with others... is that a joke to?'_ she thought to herself absentmindedly with a sigh. She shook her head not really wanting to get on that train of thought. Especially when she was in such an interesting room.

It was the first time actually being in anyone's room that wasn't already a member of the Hyuuga clan. It was... exciting.

Hanabi moved over to the bed covered with an orange blanket and sat down with a sigh, only for her eyes to go wide as she could almost literally sink into a bed. It was amazing in comparison to the stiffer beds that were located at the Hyuuga compound. They had always said that a stiffer bed was better for your back in the long run.

As Hanabi with a huge grin laid back and sank into the bed with a sigh? She was thinking about the present.

Hanabi while laying down on the bed took the time to look at things around the room that... wouldn't require her to get up to examine them. Posters lined the walls of the rooms, particularly above his pillow. There was a big poster of the Konoha leaf symbol. On the poster, it looks like some kid had taken a sharpie and made a picture of Naruto with the Hokage hat on his head with a big grin on his face. Now the drawing wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but it was a bit silly and brought a smile to Hanabi's face. She knew a bit about Naruto, from her sister. However that was all she really knew about him. There was another orange poster to the right of his bed that just had a steaming ramen cup on it, and right below it was the word 'Noodles'.

He had two windows with what appeared to be broken blinds, that both were held up with a series of strings that Hanabi had no desire to touch. She didn't want to break anything.

Another poster was located on a cabinet in his room, that appeared to never be used. It had the actress Yukie Fujikaze on it, dressed up as Princess Gale. Hanabi remembered that she wanted to see one of the woman's movies. However at the time she was stuck training at home with her father, and never got around to actually going to the movie.

Hanabi took a sigh as she laid back relaxing in the bed for a few more moments. She wished her room had some of the things Naruto's had, even if he perhaps didn't have that much. With that thought she sat up and walked to the other side of the bed where the clothes supposedly were that she was going to change into.

She had expected something like robes of the Hyuuga Clan. However she didn't know whether to be insulted, or surprised when she saw a box that contained an orange jumpsuit and shinobi sandles. The clothes had several patches on them, and appeared to have seen quite a bit of action by how many stitches the outfit had. However it would be rude for her to not accept the clothes offered to her, especially since she knew if she stayed in her damp clothes any longer, she was likely to get sick.

She hefted the box onto the bed before stripping herself of her clothes, and laying the orange clothes out for her. That was when she got the full picture of what she was going to wear. She could recall her sister mumbling about this boy's choice of clothing before. She didn't know if her sister liked it or not. Hanabi just knew she certainly didn't. A lot of orange was asking a lot. However a lot of orange, with blue and red spirals? That was just asking too much.

Hanabi tossed the jumpsuit top to the side, and dug out the black shirt that Naruto had likely worn under his jump suit. She realized there wasn't any underwear in the box. However she knew she likely wouldn't change into it anyways. She quickly dressed herself by putting on the orange pants, followed by the black shirt. Much to her displeasure, she found herself being forced to hold up the pants with her hand. These things didn't fit at all. The shirt fit her like some large black night gown, and the pants were pooling around her ankles like the civilian boys that thought they were really cool for having shiny teeth.

Although she did admit one thing. It was quite a deal more comfy then her usual lounging clothes, that forced her to essentially just stay dressed up with overgrown robes that weighed her down. Hanabi held onto her bottoms as she crawled back to lay on the bed. She didn't need them sliding down her ass as she tried to get herself situated.

She laid back with a sigh only to hit her head on something hard. She raised an eyebrow at that and lifted her boy back up. Something hard just didn't fit in with how comfy this bed had been thus far. She reached behind her, and pulled out none other then a scroll that said on it '_Chunin Application'_

She never expected to find more then that when she read it.

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"Damnit..." Naruto cursed under his breath. He had long since stepped out of the shower, and now he was just standing in the mirror trying to pick at his arm. Every time he was actually trying to injure his arm, sand would burst out of the little tattoos like sweat dripping out of pores. It would come up and block any incoming contact. The odd thing was that the effect was only on his arm. When the lightly cut his chest, nothing happened. He knew it was going to be something he would have to ask Shukaku... or Kyuubi next time he ended up down in the cage. Naruto knew he was just lucky with the fact that the arm was covered by his gauntlet, so no one would see the tattoos. He personally felt that Hanabi having already seen them was more then enough people. Particularly since she was someone he had just met, and he didn't know if he could trust her with a secret like that. In truth, he didn't know if he could trust anyone with a secret like that.

Naruto sighed as wrapped a towel around himself and stepped out of the bathroom. He peaked his head out to where the kitchen and the makeshift living room were located to see if he could get a glimpse of Hanabi. Upon realizing she wasn't out there, he knew she must have been in his room.

Naruto walked up to the room and opened the door calmly to see the white eyed Hyuuga sitting on his bed utterly absorbed in some reading material. She didn't even appear to be aware of his presence. At first it didn't bother Naruto in the slightest and he didn't think much of it. At least until he realized that he had only one form of reading material in his room. He turned around and rushed to the side of the bed, holding his towel together at the waist, while his other hand reached out and grabbed the scroll from the girl.

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto asked with a scowl as he realized just what the girl was reading.

Hanabi looked like a child who got caught with it's hand in the cookie jar. She quickly tried to make up an excuse and waved her hands trying to explain what she was doing. Although in her distressed state she was completely incoherent. She took a deep breath and looked away. "Can I use your shower?" she asked, already making her way off of the bed, not caring that Naruto was likely getting a view of her behind since she was more focused on quickly getting out of the room rather then her modesty.

Naruto sighed and looked at the scroll in his hands. He wanted to be mad at the girl, but in truth it was his fault that he sent the girl to his room with nothing to do while he took a shower. "Yeah, go ahead I will bring you a towel..." Naruto said slowly as he wrapped his hands around the scroll tightly. "However we are going to talk about this." he said motioning the the scroll, "when you get out of the shower alright?" he said as he searched his mind to try and explain the things that the girl had read in the scroll.

Hanabi said nothing and skittered out of the room quickly before rushing into the bathroom and closing the door quite loudly.

Naruto groaned as he calmly opened the scroll and looked over the part she was just reading. How the hell was he supposed to explain this?

_So Naruto, me and your father decided to name Jiraiya your godfather before you were born Naruto. _This was written in Kushina's handwriting.

_I doubt she had even anticipated the Kyuubi actually attacking the village at time, forcing it to be sealed inside of you. However in the world of the shinobi sometimes is just series of unexpected circumstances. -_Sarutobi, the old man.

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Naruto sighed as he stirred a cup of ramen with a single chop stick. His mind was going at a mile a minute as he sat at the table quietly in a towel. Figuring out how to explain things in general was hard for him. Explaining his situation with Kyuubi? That was even harder for him. However the idea of having to explain this to someone else. Fear consumed him. If Hanabi wouldn't be able to accept him despite Kyuubi being in him. Would anyone? The only person that ever accepted Kyuubi being in him was trying to use him. Was that a life he was going to be doomed to have?

Naruto was broken from his thoughts as he heard a yell from the bathroom, "Naruto! I still need a towel!" came the cry of the Hyuuga. Naruto paused and tried not to laugh at the situation. He hadn't had a friend over before, he frankly hadn't had many close friends. However he was pretty sure taking a shower at someone's house wasn't something you were supposed to do on your first visit. Although... Naruto did realize he didn't exactly set a good example.

Naruto got up grabbing one of the few towels from the cabinet on the way to the bathroom, and did a mistake he never intended to ever do again. Opening a bathroom door without knocking.

Naruto flushed red as he had pushed open the door fully and was greeted with the sight of a very bare, very red Hanabi who had resorted to glaring angrily at Naruto. Naruto was quick to toss the girl the towel and quickly slam the door shut. Over the years of Naruto getting beaten around by Sakura for being an 'idiot' or a 'pervert' he had learned quite well when he was likely going to get attacked. He almost wanted to slap himself though for how stupid he was, and how embarrassing that was for him. He couldn't even begin to imagine how embarrassing it must have been for Hanabi.

'_I suck ass at this friend thing...'_ Naruto thought with a sigh as he made his way back to his ramen cup, and just slammed his head down onto the table beside it. He was no longer hungry.

A few minutes went by and an annoyed Hanabi had finally made her way back into the living room of the apartment. She was once again dressed in the clothes Naruto allowed her to borrow. He refused to meet Hanabi's gaze, far to embarrassed, particularly since he knew she was staring right at him. Even after she sat down across from him, he just knew that she was just waiting to throw something at him the moment he turned to face her.

"You're an idiot." she said calmly as she continued staring at the boy across from her with a scowl.

For once Naruto had to agree, he didn't look at her but he nodded her head, "Yeah... I'm sorry."

There was a thick silence around the group at the table. Hanabi had since found out a lot of personal things about Naruto's life. Where as Naruto had... seen... quite a few personal things about Hanabi.

"I should..." Hanabi began before not bothering to finish the statement and just fumed. "Damnit you so have to train me now!" she said stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Naruto gave a weak smile and nodded his head before turning towards Hanabi, "Yeah..." he said slowly. "I know..."

There was more silence, that was starting to grate on Hanabi's nerves. She knew it was because of the series of encounters that had just taken place, but honestly? There was no reason for it... at least in her eyes. "You know... do you have a problem with the fact that you saw me... naked." She took a pause at the end slightly irritated.

Naruto didn't look at her but he shrugged his shoulders, "Among other things..." he said as he thought back to the scroll he had caught the girl reading.

"Don't." Hanabi said firmly which earned a mild look of surprise from Naruto. This was not the type of reaction he had been expecting from the girl.

Naruto opened his mouth for a moment, "But..." yet Hanabi cut him off.

"I have come to terms with the fact that you have seen me naked already." She said as she held up her hand with a sigh, not wanting the blonde to really comment on it anymore.

"That was rude of me though. I should have knocked or..." Naruto drifted off in thought.

"Naruto. Yes it is annoying that you walked in on me. However I am not going to try and kill you over it like most women would. Frankly? I don't care. I have grown up in a house where everyone can see through walls. I had to come to terms that despite the fact I may like my privacy when it comes to my body? I realize that I have probably already been seen naked by many of my clan members..." She said the last part with a bit of distaste. However Naruto couldn't understand where that would come from. Not really being able to feel secure in your own home, in your own clothes. It probably isn't that great of a feeling.

Her brief speech caused Naruto to bring himself out of the hole that he had dug, but it didn't stop him from apologizing one final time to the girl who was sitting in front of him... now eating his ramen.

Naruto at first wanted to yell at the girl for stealing his food, but bit his tongue realizing that at the very least she deserved that for the invasion of privacy. Besides, it wasn't like he was even eating it? Ramen shouldn't be wasted.

Although as more silence reigned over the two besides Hanabi calmly eating her noodles with a level of manners Naruto had never witnessed before at the dinner table. This only served to bring Naruto to his other problem that had arisen between the two of them. "Hanabi... about what you read on that scroll... and what happened this morning..." Naruto began as Hanabi instantly stopped eating and looked towards Naruto. Naruto shifted his tattooed arm uncomfortably as he looked at the girl.

"I think you deserve an explanation."

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Alright That is it for this chapter. I was actually in the middle of writing this and just realized, there was just too much to get done in a single chapter. So this chapter was really about taking a look at Hanabi, and essentially Naruto's need for a real friend. Anyone who is curious about Mei or Missions or whatever. They are coming up soon. Don't worry.

Thanks for all the martial arts feed back. I loved the Bruce Lee quote. Muay Thai was the style me and my friend were thinking on for awhile before we asked the question. However Krav Maga is really cool too. So we shall see. Anyways I hope you enjoyed Hanabi's character.

A quick note also. If people are saying "I don't really know where this story is going anymore, but I will continue reading." I take that as a compliment. You as the reader should never know every step an author is going to make in a story, otherwise the Author is A: not very good. Or B: not doing his job. I don't introduce plot ideas if I don't know how they will close and complete. Just because they aren't highlighted now. (Mei's husband, Kisame, Rin, or Kyuubi, or the Iwa shinobi) Does not mean they wont be in the future.

**Question:** How are you guys liking Hanabi so far? She will be a bigger character as the story goes on. I'm curious as to how you are liking her currently though.


	15. An All Too Familiar Feeling

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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To say Naruto was shocked would be an understatement. To say he was happy would also be an understatement. He spent nearly a good hour at that table with Hanabi doing his best to explain what he could to her without revealing too much. However to Naruto nearly everything that he told her that was in that scroll that she read. It all paled in comparison to one thing.

He told her about the Kyuubi. Yet she! Someone who he barely knew. Someone he had just met the other day! She accepted him.

Nothing could bring his mood down from where he was at. He could remember perfectly clear exactly what Hanabi had said after he revealed the Kyuubi to her.

_"So?" Hanabi asked with a raised eyebrow at Naruto's complete and utter silence for the past minute and a half. "Why should this bother me? The fact that you walked in on me when I got out of the shower bothers me more then this. What is your problem?" _

Naruto grinned. He probably shouldn't think of it as a great success, seeing as how she was still bothered by the fact that he walked in on her. However the fact that she so readily accepted the fact that he had the Kyuubi in him? Well if gave him hope.

Naruto was more then ready to put on his practically dry clothes, and drag Hanabi out of the house as he tossed her damp clothes in the dryer. All the while Hanabi was incredibly confused and had no idea where they were going.

All of these actions and events however made Naruto realize one thing about himself. When he was in a good mood? He was able to think more clearly about things. As such he realized almost instantly just exactly what he needed to be able to teach Hanabi.

"You do realize that big grin is making you look like you are ten seconds from getting ready to bounce off of the walls right?" Hanabi asked with an amused grin as she looked at the blonde next to her. Luckily she wasn't forced to walk around holding up Naruto's pants constantly seeing as how he was able to give her some ninja wire to use as a makeshift belt. Although it didn't stop the pants from pooling around her ankles. Although she did particularly mind that part.

Naruto flushed a bit embarrassed. It probably was rather easy to see just how good of a mood he was currently in. "Yeah..." he said with a grin as he rubbed the back of his head blushing lightly at being called out. Although this action caused him to not watch where he was going, and he nearly tripped over some kids running by in the market district causing Hanabi to chuckle a bit at his near misfortune.

Naruto glared at the fact that she was laughing at him and straightened up quickly. If he was going to get laughed at, he was fine with acting like some emotionless tool that reminded him slightly of his teammate.

They rounded the corner and saw the library in the distance. Although they weren't looking to see who exactly was in the crowd on the way there. Or at least... Naruto wasn't. Hanabi on the other hand saw someone who made her eyes go wide for a second before she got the slightest gleam in her eye.

It was Hinata.

Hinata was currently sitting on a bench outside of the library in the son reading about herbal remedies, much to Hanabi's displeasure. She was going to become the heir? She spent all of her time looking up pointless herbal medicines that could easily be made irrelevant by a half decent medic ninja. She spent her time doing that instead of trying to improve her taijutsu. To Hanabi, it was a blatant slap in the face. That was why Hanabi had no qualms about what she was about to do.

Naruto and Hanabi walked right in front of Hinata soon enough, and the combo of orange and blue clothing between the two parties was a familiar combo to Hinata who instantly caught it out of the corner of her eye. The moment she saw it, she closed her book on her finger and instinctively got ready to stand as if she was contemplating making an approach to someone. However when Hanabi saw the look on her sister's face. She couldn't resist the low blow.

The moment before they turned to go down an alley way right next to where Hinata was sitting, the alley way that lead to the shinobi section and entrance to the library. Hanabi... tripped.

Or at least she tried to make it appear like she tripped. Hanabi had activated her byakugan to catch a glimpse of her sister's face. Anything that was going to throw her off her game to make her loss when Hanabi chose to challenge her? It would make it all the more sweet.

Hanabi gave a cry as she faked her fall, but Hinata was able to see right through the fall clear as day. The footwork required for the Hyuuga taijutsu was ridiculous. The amount of training Hanabi had went through to get as good as she was. To be able to attain perfect balance? There was no way she would just trip.

Hinata clenched her fists as she sat back down and watched the scene before her.

Naruto swept around quickly, making sure to catch Hanabi on his bare arm, and not his metal gauntlet. In Naruto's eyes, she stumbled ever slightly more, into Naruto's chest and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist as she fell forward into rather awkward hug.

"Thanks." Hanabi said with the slightest blush on her face as she pulled herself off of Naruto. "Damnit Naruto..." She said slowly as she looked down at her feet. "You pants keep pooling around my ankles and keep causing me to stumble and I nearly tripped... well... nearly completely tripped if you hadn't caught me." She said quite loud. No one on the street was really paying any attention... accept for Hinata.

_'Why does she have Naruto-kun's pants... Is that his shirt too?...' _Hinata thought to herself as she clenched her fists in anger. Her sister had no idea how much she would kill to be in her place right now.

Naruto laughed a bit, unaware of the real situation at hand. "Here let me help, I can have you falling into my lap every day now can I?" Naruto said with a grin as he knelt down and got the legs of Hanabi's pants and rolled them up a bit so they were no long flooding her ankles.

The comment Naruto gave made Hanabi genuinely blush as she realized that Naruto was referring to the night before where he broke down in the boy's arms. She could only hope he wouldn't address that and force her to explain anything. Particularly since he had shared quite a great deal with her earlier. It almost made her entitled to share something.

Hinata in the background felt her heart clench when Naruto made his statement that made it seem as if this situation had already happened before.

Naruto stood up just in time to realize Hanabi was blushing, but more importantly her byakugan was activated. That action was a bit odd. What could she be looking at? He turned his head lightly as he looked over Hanabi's shoulder and spotted his classmate. Oddly she looked a bit angry, but that was something he couldn't really understand. "Hey Hanabi, your sister is over there." he said with a grin towards the girl as he turned Hinata's way. "Hey Hinata, over here!" he called out to the girl.

Hanabi went wide eyed when Naruto called out to her sister. Did he realize what she was trying to do? '_Or is her company more important than mine?...'_ she thought to herself sadly, an emotion that quickly turned to a pent up anger that she kept down. She got closer to Naruto's chest, so she could lean slightly on the boy and hope that he wouldn't notice, or at least wouldn't mind. She turned her head slightly to give her sister a cold stare, daring the girl to come forward. If she was honest with herself, she knew her sister wouldn't come forward. She had always been far to shy to do anything like that. At least... that was what she thought.

Hinata stood up taking a deep breath and mustering as much confidence as she possibly could before walking forward towards her long time crush... who her sister was clinging on... in his clothes...

"Hey!" Naruto said with a grin, "What are you doing here?" he asked with a grin. Truth be told, the only reason he called the girl over was because he was with Hanabi, and in a good mood. He never actually had taken the time to talk to Hinata... ever really. She was a bit weird. However she was Hanabi's family.

Hinata blushed the moment Naruto grinned, and did her best to muster her confidence. This was the first time she had actually talked to Naruto besides random exercises when they were in groups in class. "I... I umm..." She paused her cheeks reddening even worse as she struggled to form her words.

Hanabi grew an ever increasing scowl as she watched the interaction between Naruto and her sister. How Hinata was going to be chosen for the heir when she had absolutely no confidence was beyond her. "Come on Naruto, I think she actually may need to go. She looks like her mind is elsewhere." Hanabi said as she straightened herself up getting nearly eye to eye with her older sister.

Naruto paused and looked at the two curiously before saying, "Ummm... alright." he said as Hanabi began to usher him down the alleyway.

"No wait!" Hinata nearly yelled startling a mother and her children who were just walking by. Hinata flushed in embarrassment and got next to Naruto once again to try and talk. "I umm, I was at the library... trying to learn more remedies like the one I gave you after... after your fight with Kiba." she said with a series of pauses. She was looking incredibly red in the face, and her breathing was getting faster as the moments went by.

Naruto turned to his former classmate giving the girl his full attention, "Oh? what are you trying to learn, anything specific remedy?" Naruto asked with another grin as he stopped Hanabi from ushering him along.

Hanabi's eyes were wide, particularly when Naruto had her stop gently pushing him. How in the hell Hinata had mustered the confidence to approach the proclaimed 'boy of her dreams' after all of these years was beyond her. The fact that Naruto was actually paying attention to her though... when he is supposed to be helping her. Even if the interaction between the two had only been going on for perhaps a minute. That minute felt like years as she could literally feel her own self confidence start to grind away as Naruto continued to pay attention to Hinata.

"Umm... well I thought that since we were just invaded by Suna... ummm... it would be good to learn remedies to stall and cure poisons..." She said slowly rather unsure of herself.

Naruto however was mildly surprised by her answer, he didn't think of that. Of course... he probably had no use for poison cures personally. However it was a really smart thing to do. "Wow Hinata! That is pretty smart, I didn't actually think of that. Did you think about doing this all on your own?" Naruto questioned the girl.

Hinata flushed at the praise and didn't trust her words after the praise she had just gotten from her crushed. She smiled and nodded her head a couple times, her cheeks getting a bit brighter.

Hanabi at this point couldn't take it any longer. She pushed the two apart, and stomped past them in frustration. Once again angry tears swelling up in her eyes. Why was everyone in her life right now so concerned about what Hinata was doing? So what, she was researching poisons? So what. Why not practice her family techniques, so she wouldn't have to worry about being poisoned in the first place?

She blinked back a few tears as she stomped past the duo leaving them, particularly Naruto in a mild shock at the girl's actions.

Naruto pursed his lips and searched his head for an answer to her actions. Had he done something wrong?

xxx

Hanabi wasn't bothering looking back, she quickly made her way to the shinobi entrance of the library intent on entering, only to be stopped by a guard at the door.

"Sorry miss Hyuuga, you must be a shinobi of Konoha or escorted by a chunin of Konoha to get inside the shinobi library."

"What!" she yelled in frustration, almost disbelieving the circumstances. Her cry had also attracted the attention of Hinata and Naruto who were still standing rather surprised.

xxx

Naruto quickly turned to Hinata and said, "Hey Hinata... I will see you around, I am helping your sister." he said quickly as he began to make his way down the alley, leaving a slightly depressed Hinata behind.

"Okay... Naruto-kun..." She called out weakly to his retreating form.

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"What do you mean I have to be a ninja!" She said again as she looked away blinking her eyes really fast. She was a Hyuuga. She wasn't about to let the chunin before her cry. She scratch just below one of her eyes for a moment acting as if she had something in them. Although she doubted the man was buying it. "My sister I know got a book from here! I have never seen it in the civilian library before!" she said as she grit her teeth, not really thinking about what she just said in her frustration.

The man guarding the library was getting rather annoyed with the girl in front of him and sighed, "That is because miss Hyuuga Hanabi, your older sister Hinata is a genin. She is allowed access here."

Hanabi once again felt an iron grasp of inferiority clench on her heart. '_Why is everyone so obsessed with the fact that she is my 'older' sister? Yeah she is a genin... but I am more skilled then her! Everyone keeps paying more attention to her lately... just because she was born first...' _Hanabi thought to herself sadly.

She quickly turned and was ready to make her way out of the opposite end of the alleyway, since her sister was probably still talking to Naruto. That was until she felt a hand firmly grasp her shoulder.

"She is with me." Naruto said giving a grin to the guard at the door. Naruto didn't even need to show papers to anyone that he was a chunin. After the boy had shook the hands of all of the Kages on the floor of the exam as they handed him his chunin papers? It would be idiotic to think the boy was anything but.

Hanabi whirled around to see Naruto standing right beside her. Sure she was happy to see the boy was with her, and not with her sister. However the anger from before was still there. She roughly shrugged off Naruto's hand and turned her back to him.

Naruto rubbed the back of his hand with a weak grin as he looked at the guard and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't really understand why Hanabi was angry. However he knew he better find out. "Come on Hanabi." Naruto said as he led the girl into the shinobi library of Konoha.

The shinobi library was an interesting place. It was essentially the place that separated the the good shinobi from the bad. Naruto had learned that from Mei. The good shinobi would be coming here every week to get a new book from the library. Those shinobi had realized that knowledge is power. Those are the ones that typically succeed through the ranks quickly. While there are then others out there who are still twenty years old, and still genin because they refused to take in information, and use their resources.

The library didn't have any delicate information. Although it did have quite a few jutsu. Naruto knew he wouldn't find anything like the shadow clone jutsu in the library. However the more simple techniques that are known throughout most of the nations weren't really a security risk. However what the library did have were many books on poisons, tactics, stealth, weapons, and chakra manipulation. All common place books that are sold around the world. Knowledge they wouldn't want in the hands of the average civilian, but still useful to the average shinobi.

"Hanabi follow me." Naruto said quietly not to disturb the many different ranks of shinobi that had various books piled around the tables. Hanabi reluctantly followed the blonde while saying nothing. They had weaved through several different rows of scrolls and books until they had got to where they were looking for. Apparently Naruto had at one point searched this place high and low. However Hanabi didn't really have anyone to gossip with, so she didn't know that much about what happened around the village. She was fine with admitting she was a bit socially awkward with her upbringing where the closest friend she has is her father... and oddly yet pathetically enough the blonde boy beside her. At least... she was fine with admitting that in her head.

"Here we go." Naruto said with a grin as he jumped up and grabbed a scroll off of the library rack. He was quick to hand the scroll to the girl beside him with a grin, almost as if he was giving someone a present.

"What is it?" She asked curiously before she unrolled it, not checking the name on the outside of the scroll, far more interested in it's contents. Her eyes quickly widened when she realized just exactly what it was.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a laugh, "I took some time to think about how I could actually train you, but was failing miserably. To be honest, I haven't ever taught someone... anything before. The only decent teaching I have gone through was well... well no one besides someone with my chakra reserves could do it." He said with a weak grin. "So... I thought back to the preliminaries of the chunin exam and well..."

Naruto was cut off by a disbelieving Hanabi. "You want me... to train as hard as I can, and then just take chakra from you using this chakra absorption technique?" she said analyzing the situation before her in a mild level of surprise. '_Is this even safe?' _Hanabi thought dryly as she looked down at the scroll.

Naruto grinned as she caught on to his idea, but didn't get to say more as Hanabi probed for more information.

"So then what do you plan to teach me then? There must be some sort of thing you are getting at since you are hinting at chakra intensive training." she said slowly trying to figure out what was going on.

Naruto smiled slightly as he looked at the white eyed girl who was quickly becoming his friend, "Well I beat my opponents in the exams by merely superior tactics. I was actually a bit hard pressed to beat my teammate Sasuke. The sensei I had over the month beforehand taught me that more often then not superior tactics can carry you through most battles unless you are completely outclassed. Whether it be in just raw power, or the shinobi you are facing has a skill set that directly counters your own." Naruto said with a frown as he thought back to who told him that.

"Who was your sensei?" Hanabi asked with interest, but refused to look the boy in the eye.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that, "You don't know?" he asked mildly surprised with the girl. He thought it was just one of the few things that became blatantly evident with how Mei was on him at the exams.

Hanabi gave Naruto a look that clearly spoke for itself 'No? Why the hell should I know your sensei?' however she decided to speak anyways. "My father took me out of the stadium and back home after a branch member of my family lost his match against you..." Hanabi said calmly as she leaned against the shelf full of information reading over the contents of the jutsu in her hands.

"Oh..." Naruto said slowly as he caught the fact that she didn't even call Neji her family... or she did... but so impersonal. "Well my sensei was the Mizukage." He said absentmindedly as he picked up and looked at a few of the random scrolls before him with moderate interest.

Hanabi bug eyed the moment Naruto had said that and didn't care that she was staring at the boy beside her. At least, she didn't care until Naruto snapped his fingers in front of her face. That only caused her to scowl and bat his hand away in frustration as silence reigned between the two in the library.

Naruto took a peak over towards Hanabi a few minutes into the silence as she continued to read away on theory and practice, and he could only shake his head with a sigh. "Hanabi how about you sit down or something, I'll be around here." He said gesturing to the general area, but more particularly an area beside him that caught his eye.

Hanabi looked up for a moment, before sliding down to sit on the floor right where she was formerly standing. Apparently, she didn't care if she had a table or not. Naruto shook his head in amusement at the scene and stepped over the girl quietly, trying his best not to disturb her as he made his way over to a rack of techniques.

It had caught his eye purely because of it's label. He could understand learning about ninjutsu or chakra control from scrolls. That was fine. However the idea of learning taijutsu from a scroll? It seemed that taijutsu would have to be one of those things that had to be learned from a sensei. How could you learn any of it from... a slip of paper?

Naruto frowned as he looked over the various scrolls. It was a relatively small section of the library, in contrast to the many shelves about poisons, genjutsus, and ninjutsu. Although it was rather cool to look at all of the different styles. Although... he wasn't a taijutsu expert by any means, he just knew his taijutsu sucked. Frankly he was more then willing to grab any of the scrolls blindly and take it home and try to figure it out. After all, he didn't really have much to lose.

The sole reason for wanting to learn a taijutsu style so badly sprouted up the moment that... fish guy had attacked Mei and her guards. Naruto had never felt so useless in his life. To practice so much learning so many different jutsus and rather flashy techniques? All just to be rendered completely useless and redundant the moment his chakra was sealed? It was definitely one of the bigger insults and hits his pride had taken in his life. Almost as if someone was laughing down at him for focusing so much on ninjutsu.

Although through standing at the rack, he had attracted the attention of Hanabi who asked, "What style are you looking at?"

How the hell was he supposed to answer that? He wasn't looking at any style, and yet at the same time he was looking at all of them. Naruto flushed in embarrassment at his situation and haphazardly grabbed a scroll off of the rack as he said, "This one!" quickly before turning to Hanabi with a grin as he held the scroll behind his back. "Are you ready to go?" Naruto questioned the girl who was sitting down on the ground.

Hanabi didn't say anything still frustrated with Naruto from earlier and merely got up brushing her clothes off, doing her best not to think of the earlier interaction between Naruto and her sister.

Naruto proceeded quickly to the counter having since taken the scroll that Hanabi was looking at. It was quick work to check out the two scrolls and make their way out of the library.

The moment they got outside, while Naruto wasn't paying attention, Hanabi blatantly cursed out loud not caring who would hear her. Her sister was making her way down the alley.

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Scene break... just because I thought the scene was ridiculously long already... and painful to look at...

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Hanabi could only grit her teeth together as she saw her sister approach from the distance. If there was going to be a repeat performance between Naruto and her sister. Hanabi knew she would flip in order to avoid a repeat of her... momentary lapse of weakness last night.

Naruto turned to Hanabi with a raised eyebrow confused as to why Hanabi just randomly let a curse slip. He looked around and raised an eyebrow as he spot Hinata coming down the alley. Was that why? Was there some sort of bad blood between the two sisters or something? Truth be told, it wouldn't be completely out of the norm since apparently there was bad blood between Hinata and her cousin. Although the idea was a bit odd... after all Hinata was well rather sweet. He didn't even know her that well and she had given him medicine before. Although... then again he didn't really know her that well beyond the fact that she gave him medicine.

"What's wrong Hanabi?" Naruto asked in mild confusion, his brain turning on an almost high alert. He was paying far more attention to the girl's eyes and lips that continued to purse themselves whenever she would send a look towards her sister.

"Ehh nothing... can we go?" She said the last part in a bit of a hurry as she grabbed Naruto's hand as she tried her best to gently pull him along.

Although gently... right now? It just wasn't so gentle when internally she was utterly frustrated. It was like her sister had specifically been watching them from behind that wall this entire time. That she chose just this moment to return her book that she was reading because they were exiting the library. Her sister never returned books the day she got them! Hanabi clenched her teeth as she began to pull harder the more Hinata would increase her pace.

This didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, although by the time he was going to just follow Hanabi having sensed her distress. Her sister had called out to him.

"N... Naruto-kun." Hinata called out as loud as she felt she possibly could. Although it was quite quiet all things considered.

Hanabi looked at her sister and grit her teeth shaking her head, "This is ridiculous." she said in frustration as she threw her hands up into the air before once again storming off. She wasn't going to stand around as Naruto blatantly paid more attention to her sister then her again.

Naruto however who wasn't grasping all of the different levels of the situation just got wide eyes as Hanabi rushed off down the opposite end of the Alley.

Not really paying Hinata much mind, he waved his hand dismissively backwards, "Uh yeah... Hey Hinata. Sorry I got to go catch your sister..." he said with a couple of pauses trying to figure out exactly what was going on between the two.

Hinata looked utterly crushed when Naruto said that, although he didn't notice the look as Naruto had already taken to the roof tops intent on catching up to Hanabi who was briskly making her way through the crowds. He could only hope he would find her soon and find out just exactly what the problem was between the girls.

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Naruto sighed as he made his way up the steps to his apartment. He had ran up and down the street from the library to his house looking for Hanabi in the crowd before he finally gave up. Perhaps if he was lucky she would just be there for him or something when he got home.

Sure enough as he got up the final flight of stairs, seeing as how his apartment was located at the very top of the building, he was able to see a familiar white eyed girl down the hallway. Although apparently she noticed him as well, because the moment he made it up the stairs and made eye contact with her. She scowled, and shifted her body so she wasn't looking his direction.

Naruto sighed as he made his way down the hall. The girl was completely hot and cold. Well... mostly cold. However still, he felt the more time he spent with her, the further he got from understanding her.

As if it was a scripted scene from a play, the moment they got within five feet of each other, they both began to say something.

"How did you enjoy talking and spending time with my sister?"

"Have you been here the entire time? I was looking everywhere for you?"

Although the joint questions, and the fact that they contradicted each other only brought up more questions. Naruto moved to unlock his door, wanting to get his question out first.

"So have you been here the entire time? I tried to find you after you ran off, but I couldn't..." Naruto said calmly as he gave a glance towards the girl beside his door.

Hanabi fumed at the question, and brushed passed Naruto into his house. "It doesn't matter, I'm going home." Hanabi said quickly as she made her way into his house. Although while barging into a house hold was quite a rude gesture. The fact that she stopped the moment she was in the door way in a almost ritual like way of taking off her shoes and placing them neatly in the corner of the wall. Needless to say it made her entrance all the less threatening, if not the slightest bit amusing.

Although the action didn't stop her from making her way into the house after the stripping of her shoes. She was intent on finding her clothes.

It took Naruto a few minutes to register just exactly what she said as he closed his door and locked it. "Wait? Why?"

Hanabi said nothing as she made her way into the room where she thought the dryer would be located.

Naruto sighed as he walked right past the girl who was aimlessly looking around for the dryer, which gave Naruto the perfect opportunity to brush right past her and hop right onto the hood of the drying, placing his legs right in front of the door she would have to open to get his clothes. "You aren't getting your clothes until I get some answers as to what your problem is." Naruto said out loud gathering the attention of the female in his house.

Hanabi came into view and grit her teeth as she saw just exactly what Naruto was doing. "Give me my clothes." She said as she put her hands on her hips giving the boy before her an annoyed look.

Naruto stubbornly shook his head with a laugh as he leaned back against the wall behind the dryer. "Not a chance. Not until you tell me what the hell has got you in such a crappy mood. It is like every time your sister is even mentioned, let alone seen, you act like you want to kill something." Naruto said calmly without much tact. He was just being honest.

Although, honesty often hurts. Hanabi glared at the blonde, "Why the hell do I have to tell you anything Naruto?" she questioned as she moved forward reaching out towards the handle of the dryer.

It was covered by his leg quickly, "You don't have to tell me anything." Naruto confirmed. "However I would like you to. I don't know you that well, I will admit that. However maybe I can help. After all... you know some things about me." he said slowly not really liking the idea of bringing up Kyuubi with people any more than he had to.

Hanabi huffed, and pushed Naruto's leg to the side before tugging at the dryer door. It only opened for a second before the pressure behind Naruto's other leg forced it to be slammed closed once again. "I never asked you to tell me anything about it!" she said in frustration as she made another attempt for the door.

Hanabi's comment served for Naruto to lose the relative calm he was keeping with the situation and he scowled, as he forcefully pushed her hand away with his own. "You are right Hanabi, you never asked me. Just as I never asked you to go through my personal things." he said as he watched the girl before him pale and wince at his comeback. "Sometimes..." Naruto began as he eyed the girl, "It is better to give people an explanation rather then allowing them to come to their own conclusions about subjects." Naruto said as his expression soured recalling a few past memories.

Hanabi bit her lip for just a moment as she thought over Naruto's words. "Fine..." she said slowly as she realized that he had indeed shared quite a great deal with her, in contrast to her current problems that would eventually be made public information anyways. "I'll let you ask a few questions..." she said with a frown, not really believing that she was going through with this.

Naruto smiled momentarily at the girl before asking, "Well when we met, why did you break down like you did?"

Hanabi felt her cheeks go red, she wasn't particularly expecting that to be the first question. Even if the question made sense, since it was the beginning of how they had met. "I... uhmm..." She flushed even greater as she had an even greater trouble trying to form words to explain what happened. '_Snap out of it Hanabi!'_ she told herself in her head, _'Your sister is the one that lacks confidence. Not you. You never had. Don't start now!' _She said as she continued to mentally berate herself.

She took a deep breath and did her best to start over, starting with a fake light cough. "I mean... it was I guess built up stress... I found out some bad news from my clan and-"

"What was it?" Naruto cut in curiously. Although unknown to Naruto, he didn't even notice how rude it was for him to pry at the girl for secrets due to having such few social interactions with people.

Hanabi frowned as she felt almost forced to answer the question. Although at the same time, she didn't feel that terrible about it. She hadn't actually talked about her problems with the seal to anyone... she rather just bottled it up. '_Wait a minute... that was it!' _She thought to herself quickly.

"Well to answer your questions. The Hyuuga family essentially operates on the basis of a Main family, and a Branch family. Members of the Branch family are essentially slaves to the members in the Main family through use of an intricate seal that is virtually a prison." Naruto scoffed lightly when he heard the prison part. It sounded all too familiar. "I had recently found out that my father was going to place this seal on me... but not my sister." Hanabi clenched her teeth as she thought about the situation, and couldn't help herself from ranting a bit on the subject.

"Which I find to be just utter crap... I am stronger, more skilled, and in general a better Hyuuga then Hinata is. Yet they are choosing her to be the heiress simply because she is _older_..." Hanabi finished with a sneer as she clenched her fists angrily.

Now Naruto knew he was slightly slow on the uptake of things, particularly when he couldn't see all of the cards in a given situation. However the moment all of the cards in this situation were reveal... it was instantly clicking in his mind as to what had happened with Hanabi in the recent days. Her seemingly large mood swings. It all had to do with her sister, and more specifically, their age.

That was why she flipped when he called her 'Hinata's younger sister.'

That was why she stormed off when he started paying attention to Hinata on the street.

That was why she stormed off a second time when Hinata was approaching again.

He could understand why a girl who wasn't even out of the academy yet would break down when she was essentially threatened by slavery from her own family. It was one of those few moments that he just didn't know what to say. Really what could you say when a situation like that was revealed in front of you.

So he said nothing. He slid forward a bit on top of the dryer and extended a comforting hand that he rested on the girl's shoulder for a moment before slowly pulling the girl into a hug, an action that the girl didn't bother to resist.

_He wouldn't realize it now, but he would later on in the future, when he recalled back on this memory and realized just exactly what he was doing._

_Naruto gently ran a single hand through Hanabi's hair as he held the girl in a warm hug, right before he leaned down and gave the girl a kiss on the top of her head. A kiss that felt all too familiar._

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Some of you may be annoyed. I think I said I wanted this chapter to try and get the show on the road. I have just recently come to realize that Hanabi's character isn't too hard to write with. In fact, she is a bit too easy for me to write with. She is easy for me to develop and try to give her character. So This chapter was sort of me getting a bit carried away with that and realizing I couldn't actually fit everything I wanted to have happen into this chapter without making it a retarded 12 or 14k word monstrosity.

Luckily There should only be one more scene that is like "Core Hanabi development" to make her a character I feel I could actually use, without her feeling out of place and awkward because no one knows a thing about her. cough Mei cough :P. Although she will be expanded on anyways so no worries there.

Some very quick replies though to some comments.

I don't mind if you give me criticism in the reviews, it is actually what I enjoy seeing. However respectfully don't insult me when I am merely doing this for fun. It isn't like I am being paid. I can deal with it even if I can put a name to an insult, but if you are going to hide behind the pansy shield of anonymous reviews, I may just need to turn them off again. Sorry.

I am surprised how many people mentioned they wanted to see Hanabi as the pairing. However I have a lot of the story planned out. Although as I am sure you can tell by the end of the chapter, they will grow quite close. Without even realizing it at first even.

I hope the whole "She deserved an answer" comment was explained with Naruto's line in this chapter. "Sometimes an explanation is better then allowing one to come to their own conclusions." (Aka something he had to do about Jiraiya, and something he had to do growing up not knowing he was the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. Having to try and figure out plausible explanations for abandonment, and directed hate... not very fun.)

Have fun with the read everyone. I posted this early so I can hopefully post another chapter tomorrow and finally get this story back on the road and out of a solely character development arc.


	16. A Change of Pace

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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Naruto gave a deep sigh as he picked himself up off of the grassy field behind his apartment. It was quite dark out, and he had yet to sleep. It had to be coming on five in the morning. However Naruto didn't know what time it was, nor did he particularly care. His nails had almost appeared black with how dirty they were on the surface, and under them. His blue sash hung on a tree branch off to the side of the field, the bottom of is splattered with mud and full of various tattered rips in the cloth. His knuckles were bloody, and his palms had been cut open over the course of repeatedly falling to the ground, and bracing himself with his hands.

Before him were a group of at least fifteen of his clones, and beyond that there were hundreds of clones broken off into groups, or pairs all practicing what was assigned to them.

Naruto looked over his clones and then bit back a laugh with a smirk. He wiped his bloody lip that had been busted for the fifth time that evening and gave a grin. "Again!" he called as he cracked his neck and got into a loose fighting stance.

Naruto charged in against his clones, over the constant hours of training, he had grown confident in his capabilities. Rapidly improving every match through the constant dispelling and remaking clones.

One of the many clones tried to jump at him intent on giving Naruto a strike straight to the skull, one that would have surely disoriented him and likely busted his now resealed lip once again. Although Naruto was going to have none of that ever since he had been caught by it earlier in the day. He easily dodged the incoming blow despite the fact that he lunged forward with a knee.

The effect was instantaneous. Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to see the full effects of what would happen to a real person. His clone just popped out of existence. However he knew, with his knee lunging forward at his target. The impact had more then enough force to break the ribs of his opponent with ease.

Naruto leaned back quickly dodging an incoming fist that was passing by his face. He wasted no time in spinning around rapidly and giving a vicious elbow strike from his gauntlet encased arm straight to the jaw of his opponent. While once again he wouldn't see the effects. He knew one thing. Metal didn't deform on impact like one's elbow or fist. All of the power from the strike was being crushed right into his opponents face. Considering the fact that the force applied is almost equivalent as if you were hit with a sledge hammer... with even a rather mediocre strike using his gauntlet. He could easily shatter the jawbone or cheek bone of his opponent while also achieving an easy knock out.

Naruto spun around in an instant as he heard the sound of a clone coming in trying to flank him. His situational awareness had vastly improved during combat. He could honestly say that he knew everything that was happening around him. He batted the incoming hand holding a dull kunai off to the side before bringing his fist in a strong, bursting impact against the clone's chest. While not the ideal spot to attack, he could pack three hundred pounds of force behind that single punch, easily knocking the wind out of a less skilled opponent, and if aimed correctly, collapsing their windpipe.

He quickly dove out of the way of two clones intending to skewer him with a joint attack. He wasn't going to have any of that. He also came to realize in fights when it came to life and death? There was no such thing as honor, or right and wrong. He didn't care if he took to punching a male or female in the groin if it meant at the end of the day he was alive and his enemies were dead. So that was just what he did to the clone that prepared to kick him in the face as he got up from his dive.

He gripped a rock from the ground as he got up, and let it loose hitting a charging clone directly in the face before he backhanded another clone with his gauntlet. That day he began to learn that the key goal in combat is simply surviving, through whatever means. So when he finally dispatched the batch of clones, he only served to create more. He was quickly becoming skilled. _'But I need it to be instinct...'_ he thought to himself as he fell back into a stance.

Although this is all fine and good, Naruto training in a fighting style to become a better shinobi. Yet... how did he get here?

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**Earlier that day:**

Naruto suppressed a shiver that ran throughout his body as Hanabi ran a hand down his upper chest to his abs as she practiced her chakra draining technique. Sure, Naruto was happy that their conversation... or argument caused them to make up. Sure he was happy that they cleared up so many questions between the two. However... he knew... he just knew that Hanabi was purposely taunting and teasing him with what she was doing. She did not need to run her fingers along his leg or his chest slowly every time she needed to test draining the chakra.

The fact that they were sitting on his bed and Hanabi kept sighing into a pillow every time she rolled over next to him as she read her scroll did not help. Naruto pursed his lips and closed his eyes for a few good seconds ever few minutes to keep his head from straying. He had to focus on the scroll he was reading. Yet the constant touching... well it was practically giving him ADD. _'Attention deficit? More like intelligence deficit.' _he told himself in his head as he suppressed a groan as Hanabi had taken the extra time to drag her fingers all the way to the waist line.

This was probably some sick form of punishment. The younger Hyuuga hadn't even bothered to change out of his clothes yet. Couple that with the fact that Naruto was always shirtless and just wore pants. Then Hanabi was running her hand over his chest consistently...

If anyone appeared in his house right now he was sure they would get the wrong impression.

"You know, I am pretty sure you have the technique down Hanabi..." Naruto said through his teeth as she ran her hand along his thigh, casually pushing his shorts down a bit, forcing Naruto to pick them back up in a hurry.

Hanabi was careful to keep her face in the pillow, turned away from Naruto. She was quite red. She had never actually been this close to any male before, besides the few members in her family. Yet at the same time, she was never close to them like this... touching on their shirtless form?

Hanabi flushed. She kept repeating '_Curiosity killed the cat! Curiosity killed the cat! Curiosity killed the cat!' _in her head. Yet even deeper down part of her was telling her to ignore the voice, _'Well since you're not a cat, that doesn't apply to you now does it?'_

Hanabi pursed her lips, almost completely forgetting Naruto's statement as she ran her hand over his chest and felt all of his muscles. "Right..." She said coughing a bit shaking some hair into her face, so when she sat up with her back to Naruto, the boy couldn't see her. "I was just practicing. Sorry do you have something to do?" she tried her best to sound mature, calm, and in control. To sound like a Hyuuga. Yet she could barely pull it off as she thought over how she had just spent the past hour and a half of her time. The first half hour actually learning the technique. The remaining hour... "Practicing."

Naruto gave a weak grin as he swung his feet over the side of the bed, "Err yeah..." he said calmly trying to figure out an excuse to get him out of his situation. "I wanted to practice these... techniques I was reading about." he said with a pause as if a light bulb went off in his head mid statement. Naruto quickly made his way out of the room, the lightest blush on his face. He had only been touched like that by one other person...

Naruto shook his head quickly as he passed through the door. He didn't need to be thinking of his former sensei in a time like this. He was moving on. He didn't plan to see her again. He was thankful for her help, but that was it. He couldn't let her betrayal effect him.

Naruto quickly summoned a clone, and between their linked minds, they already knew exactly what to do. Naruto settled into an unrefined stance which was mirrored by his clone before they both burst into action. He was so caught up between the back and forth between his clone he didn't even notice Hanabi make her way into the room. Although he did hear her distasteful scoff, an action that made him slip up focus of what he was doing and nearly made him trip. It was just sheer luck he was able to get a hard connecting blow with his fist that ended up dispelling the clone.

Naruto sighed as he turned to Hanabi, "What?" he asked in a bit of frustration. Usually he could be quite focused during training. However he would admit it, the girl in his apartment had him a bit flustered. It was a bit hard to focus when a girl your age was walking around in your clothes after spending nearly a couple hours laying down together on a bed.

Hanabi continued to look at Naruto with a condescending stare with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked over Naruto from bottom to top before developing a light sneer on her face. "Why are you learning that?" she asked with a scowl.

Naruto was a bit confused with her attitude but none the less decided to bite and figure out what her problem was, "My taijutsu is trash and I need to learn something. Pretty much plain and simple."

Hanabi's scowl didn't falter, "But Krav Maga?" she asked in exasperation. "That isn't even a style!" she continued through her teeth. "It is like some lame... glorified street fighting! It's barbaric!" she said as she continued to search for her words as she was nearly seething looking at Naruto's footwork.

Naruto knew that in the past what she said would have probably flown over his head. He probably would have yelled at the girl for insulting what he was trying to learn. Yet now... "Wait? You know Krav Maga?" Naruto asked in mild surprise.

Hanabi fumed at the name of the style, "Yes! It is a barbaric style that lacks form that could be associated with drunk civilian." she drawled with a roll of her eyes.

Naruto paid no mind to her opinion, after he read more and more about the style he knew it would fit him perfectly... particularly with his current arsenal of skills. "Hanabi, I don't care." he said honestly, "Do you know the style or not?" Naruto questioned the white eyed girl before him.

Hanabi grit her teeth and let out a frustrated sigh, "Yes I know some of it." she admitted the fact as if it was the worst thing in the world. "My father thought it would be good to learn quite a bit about most of the various fighting styles practiced in Konoha. He felt that the Jyuken cannot be classified as the best if... it was getting beaten by other styles... He taught me knowledge was power..." She said with a series of pauses as she thought about her current situation with her father and couldn't help but clench her fists.

Naruto however was surprised and was idly wondering why he bothered grabbing a taijutsu scroll off of the shelf in the library when he had Hanabi here this entire time.

"Then do you think you can help me with this?" Naruto asked as he motioned to the scroll.

Hanabi didn't appear to be in a helpful mood, however when Naruto continued... "This can be the thing you would have to teach me in return for me teaching you." he said with a grin.

Hanabi sighed as she tucked a few strands of hair in front of her face before moving over to the scroll with Naruto all the while mumbling, 'Barbaric... formless... disgraces to taijutsu...'

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Naruto sighed as he took a deep breath leaning up against a tree. He blinked his eyes slowly a few times as he relaxed. Constant training always eventually required a break, no matter how much stamina you had. Your muscles eventually take a beating, hyper regeneration or not.

Naruto sighed as he placed an arm over his gut. Yep Hanabi had definitely given him a crash course in how to get a good foundation in his new fighting style. Although... he was pretty sure she just wanted to use it as an excuse to beat him up because he was intent on using the new style, and not something flowing with actual forms. Something that she deemed as a real taijutsu. Something like what fuzzy brows used, or karate.

Naruto smirked as he thought about the young Hyuuga. He didn't know that much about friendships? However he did know that they were probably quite a deal closer then normal relationships... at least in the beginning of them. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he had seen her at her weakest? Or the fact that she knew what he considered to be his deepest secret, and through his deepest secret sprouted his deepest fear.

Naruto shook his head with a laugh, he could only wonder what his new found friend had to go through when she got home. He doubted the daughter of the head of the Hyuuga clan not coming home one night was blowing over that well...

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**Earlier that night**:

Hanabi sighed as she finally made her way onto the clan compound. She still wore Naruto's clothes, but had her original clothes in a bundle under her arm. She activated her byakugan carefully in the shadows of the night. There were rules about not using the byakugan on clan grounds... but honestly... the only way someone was going to get caught would be acting like an idiot or using the byakugan to catch people in the first place. However... the idea that no one used the byakugan in the compound was one that her family clung to. Hanabi peered through the clan household doing her best to ignore the fact that while they were the "Noble Hyuuga Clan" of Konoha, sometimes their actions were less then noble.

Whether it be the male branch family member who was cheating on his wife with another female of the clan? The branch member who was spending him time counting a wad of money that he had apparently hidden under the post of his bed. The money was probably gained illegally some how, perhaps gambling. However Hanabi wasn't going to judge her family too harshly. After all most of them had their odd or less then "honorable" things they clung to.

Hinata having a set of pictures with Naruto in them would be an example. Her sister wasn't in the least bit stealthy when it came to hiding her things. Under her mattress? Honestly that is where a child would hide their things. All of the pictures consisted of Naruto and typically a big group of academy students, typically class pictures. One would think nothing of class pictures if it weren't for the occasional little hearts scrawled on the borders of the picture near where Naruto was located.

Hanabi quickly made her way across the open area of the compound. She didn't particularly want to encounter her family if she didn't have to. Right now her father... and her sister were eating at the table. Judging by his lips and hand gestures he was telling her sister how to deliver a proper palm thrust to temporarily disable an opponents limb. Hanabi scoffed at that thought, that was a technique she learned when she was ten.

She made her way to her room, having since turned off her byakugan. However she wished she hadn't as she felt a hand gently grasp her shoulder. "Hanabi-sama." the voice said to grab her attention. Hanabi turned her head to the person that approached her, silently cursing herself for letting herself to be stopped mere inches from the confines of her room. Although she was surprised to see who she found standing there.

"Neji?" she questioned in mild surprise with the appearance of the exiled Hyuuga. She absentmindedly looked at the boy's arm that apparently was no longer working for the jyuken. "What is it?"

Neji bit back an insult he could have thrown to the girl before him, but instead merely said, "You are to report to the Hokage tower tomorrow morning at ten. You have been temporarily placed on team Gai and we have a mission." before making his leave not wishing to be anywhere near the compound any longer.

Hanabi perhaps on one of her better days may have questioned the boy, or tried to get more information on the subject. However the prospect of being caught in the halls by her sister? Or even worse... her father. Well those thoughts didn't sit too well with her. She may end up getting yelled at... or worse... she would be the one yelling at them.

Hanabi made her way into her room and couldn't help but be a bit sad when she took in her surroundings. She went over to her bed and went to lay down only to let out a groan. Whether it be the white walls? The boring hardwood floors? Her bed with white sheets that in comparison to the bed she got to relax on earlier... her bed might as well have been built on pile of rocks. Even the small view she got from her window aiming outside was just looking at a brown fence that walled the compound.

She sighed. The things she hated about her room weren't even that prevalent until she had seen Naruto's. She wished there was a way that they could swap rooms. Her room felt like a prison, especially with the fence right outside her window and the fact that someone could always be watching you. She wished she could keep a bright outlook on her clan like her sister. However... they were by no means the nicest people. Her situation was forcing her to realize this now.

She held back a laugh as she remembered a saying a trader that had caught her father's interest had once said. _"The worst feeling in the world is the homesickness that comes over a man occasionally when he is at home._"

She had spent merely hours in Naruto's place, and here she was missing it more then her room that she had lived in for years.

Hanabi was brought from her thoughts as she heard her door slide open. Hanabi idly wondered who in her family had suddenly grown the balls to do such a thing, because judging from the sound of the person's footsteps. It certainly wasn't her father. Hanabi sat up quickly with a scowl and activated her byakugan, only to be face to face with her older sister. Hanabi was a bit surprised that her sister would enter her room without knocking. However it had to be because of their encounter earlier in the day.

Hanabi clenched her fists for a mere moment as she thought back to how she felt as her sister gathered Naruto's attention so easily. Hanabi followed her sister's gaze, which was located more on her bright orange pants then her face. Hanabi inwardly smirked, there was no way for her to get Naruto's attention now, and she would be damned if she let the day go away without getting the upper hand on her sister. This was a war between them, and it was obvious to her. Ever since her father had chosen Hinata, there was no way she was ever going to be civil with her sister.

Hanabi ran her hand up and down her orange pant legs with a sigh, "Naruto said I could borrow them for as long as I liked." Hanabi said with a sigh. To the normal person with a normal set of eyes, it appeared she was looking down at her pants when she did that. However in truth she was looking straight at her sister's face and couldn't help but guiltily get the slight bit of happiness at seeing her sister's pained flinch at her words.

Hinata wasted no time getting to the point as she pursed her lips, her eyes going from her sister's pants, to her shirt, to her eyes. "Hanabi why are you doing this?" Hinata asked slightly frantic at the fact that her sister was moving in on her long time crush. "You know how long I have liked Naruto!" she yelled a bit overly loud, which she quickly cupped a hand over her mouth realizing how loud she was.

Hanabi clenched her fists at her sister's words. She didn't understand a thing... did she? "You don't get it at all do you Hinata-_sama_..." she spat out the suffix she knew she would eventually have to call her sister. Hinata flinched at her sister's tone, but said nothing allowing her to continue. "Here you are barging into my room, complaining that I am moving in on your crush that you never even had the courage to approach yourself? You are going to come in and try to make me feel guilty when I am going to be your lowly slave the moment _father_ has enough time for me." she said with anger building up in her chest.

"Hanabi!" Hinata whined in panic, "You know it isn't like that..." she tried to reason with her sister.

"Like what Hinata?" She spat. "That I wont be getting the caged bird seal the moment that father and the elders fit me into their busy schedule? Like you wont be able to sit pretty being heir to the throne while I am stuck doing your dishes?" at Hinata's guilty look, Hanabi continued her verbal assault, "Good, you should look guilty sister! Because you were chosen as the successor, and yet you aren't even half of the shinobi I am, and I haven't even graduated. You aren't even a third of a real Hyuuga, shy, lacking confidence, lacking abilities..." Hanabi grit her teeth at her sister.

At this point Hinata had tears in her eyes as her sister verbally beat her down. Sure she had fights in the past with Hanabi... but none like this. Hinata blinked away a few tears causing them to fall to the floor, "You know what Hanabi!" Hinata began in a fit of rage as she threw her hand in front of her chest, no longer caring about how loud she was, "I may be weaker then you, and I may lack confidence sometimes! However what I am lacking in compared to you? I make up for ten times over in heart. Maybe that is why father chose me to lead the clan!" Hinata yelled at her sister until her eyes went wide as she just realized what she said.

However before she could apologize to her sister for essentially saying she didn't have a heart, she was slapped harshly across the face, a slap that sent her sprawling to the floor. "Get out of my room... your no sister of mine." she said firmly, but the slightest quiver of her lip in the darkness of her room spoke far louder then words.

During their confrontation they hadn't even noticed a shadowy figure appear in the doorway. "However you are my daughter Hanabi." came the cold voice of Hiashi Hyuuga, "I thought I had taught you better then this..." he said slowly with a shake of his head as he helped his eldest off of the floor.

Hanabi took a deep breath, fuming. "You did teach me better then this father! I do know better then this!" She yelled, no longer able to control her temper at the double assault from her family. "I always have known better then this. I grew up exactly how you taught me to! Yet you picked Hinata over me, forcing me to be your... your..." Hanabi searched for words that could describe how she was feeling, "Your fucking slave!" Hanabi was lucky her face was hidden by the shadows of her room, because she knew her expression briefly flashed to that of a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar.

Hiashi's eyes burrowed into his youngest daughter's form. "You will watch your language in this household Hanabi, and I did not make you a slave-

"Yet." Hanabi cut in before her father could continue, an action which only served to deepen his frown. "Soon enough the stories about you activating the caged bird seal on your brother will just transcend history to me and Hinata, and I will be on the chopping block with Kumogakure when Hinata gets herself stuck in some stupid problem, all for the sake of the family." Hanabi said through gritted teeth.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed at Hanabi's reference to his brother. However he knew there wasn't anything he could say at this situation. The fact that Hinata was fifteen, and Hanabi was fourteen, and the later was to receive the caged bird seal was unheard of. At least when his brother had received it, he was young, and didn't understand what was completely going on. After having raised his daughter up as a main family member through her mid teens... to make the transition now...

"I expect you to see me in my chambers at dawn Hanabi." _to do the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life..._ he told himself as an afterthought to his statement.

Hanabi looked crushed, she refused to look either her sister or her father in the eye. She just turned her back on them and laid down on her bed. She knew this would be the last time she would probably ever have this bedroom again.

Yet as her two family members left, and closed her door. There was only one source of light, and she realized that this single source of light was her last chance... at freedom.

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**Present**:

Naruto sighed heavily as he made his way back to his home. He had left the front door unlocked because originally he wasn't planning to train that long. However... when you get a rhythm going, some things are hard to stop. It wasn't like he typically had visitors anyways.

Naruto kicked off his shoes ever few steps into the house. He dropped his gauntlet onto the floor on his way to the bedroom. Tossing his blue sash over a chair as he walked through the door of his bedroom, he could only sigh as he walked over in the dark and flopped onto his bed like he always did after training.

Although the moment he hit the bed he realized something was off, whether it be the significantly harder parts of his formerly cloud like bed? Or the fact that his bed was warm. Or perhaps... it was because his "Bed" called him an idiot... he didn't know.

"Baka..." came a soft female groan from under the covers, her face currently pressed into a pillow.

Fully awake now, Naruto took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of his room, and got up on his knees. He didn't know whether to laugh or be angry.

Hyuuga Hanabi was in his bed... again.

Naruto gave a sigh at the circumstances. Of course the moment he came home to sleep, he wouldn't get any decent rest. While Naruto initially was firmly inclined to kicking the poor girl on her ass out of his bed. When he noticed the light steaks under her eyes, the fact that his pillow was slightly wet, but didn't appear to be drool. Naruto shook his head.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed on the little table by his bed right by his alarm clock, there was a slip of paper, that said something very simple and yet something Naruto knew he could easily relate to.

'_I'm sorry..._

_I had no where else to go'_

_-Hanabi_

Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he crumpled the note in his hand. He had wished his entire life he had a family. Yet it was almost as if the girl laying here before him was doing everything she could to escape her family.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose before gently climbing into bed beside Hanabi. Perhaps sleeping with another girl would have bothered him... if it was anyone else... and he wasn't this tired. However given the fact that it would technically be the second night he shared with a distressed Hanabi... in a row. He felt inclined to grin and call himself a soon to be expert on the matter.

He laid back and gently wrapped his arm around the young girl, as she instinctively clung to his body heat. Hopefully he would have an easy day tomorrow.

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"Fuck me..." Naruto groaned out as the alarm went off loud in his ears. Morning had come far too soon. He couldn't have gotten more then four hours of sleep. Not to mention that his chest felt extremely heavy, like he was being strapped down by an extra hundred pounds.

He peered his eyes open with a groan only to be greeted with the sight of a Hyuuga Hanabi cuddled up on top of him. He also noted that the Hyuuga princess was a total cover hog seeing as how he would have nothing if it weren't for the fact that she was on top of him and the covers barely fell over the sides of her form covering him.

It didn't take long for the obnoxious alarm to stir Hanabi from her sleep. Although once she was partially awake she gave a happy sigh and snuggled closer into Naruto's chest. Perhaps she was mistaking him for her hard bed at home.

Naruto sighed as he gently nudged Hanabi in the ribs with his fingers, "Hey come on... I have to get up Hanabi..."

As if realizing that beds don't talk she darted up in an instant and comically fell off of the bed landing on her ass. Naruto couldn't even contain his laughter at the situation. This only served to make Hanabi glare at him as if she was contemplating severing his testicles. Naruto wasn't in the mood to push his luck on the unspoken subject, and dismissed himself by stepping over Hanabi, "I'm going to take a shower. You can explain why you were in my bed... again... later." The girl had no time to reply.

Naruto sighed as he made his way into the shower after grabbing a towel and locking the door. He realized he didn't even shower after his training last night. The smudges of dirt that were scattered around his arms and chest. They were all mixed with varying degrees of dried blood. He had come very far in his training in Krav maga, or in Hanabi's words "Barbaric formless excuse for street fighting, one of the biggest insults to taijutsu."

He paid the girl no mind.

His chakra capacity was a joke now, if he had any doubt in the world that someone out there may have had more chakra then him with just the nine tailed fox before? The addition of Shukaku crushed that theory. Thousands of clones, utterly simple to do with relatively no drain on his chakra. Even if there was some sort of drain, with the fact that he was subconsciously pulling from three different sources of chakra? His chakra would refill itself before he even needed to worry about it.

His situational awareness in battle was already off of the charts with having to get used to seeing things from a hundred different angles consistently. He could honestly say that he was probably one of the few people in the world who legitimately had no fear of death on the battlefield. After having the memory of being stabbed in the heart, or sliced open by a blade a hundred hundreds of times? There is little you can feel for it at that point.

Shadow clones did not assist the user in building muscle, and yet it didn't matter. Naruto kept himself in perfect shape, and he knew this. The only person his age he knew was in better shape then him was Lee and perhaps Kiba.

What the shadow clones did do for him however... they taught him forms. Whether it be committing the forms to perfect memory? Having in theory a years worth of memories doing the same fighting style, and learning how to counter large masses of opponents that were ever improving with just your fists? Naruto realized very quickly in his training that in his opinion, the hardest opponent in the world to fight is yourself.

It doesn't matter how much stronger someone is then you. It doesn't matter how much the opponent thinks they know about you. The true testament of strength was not fighting against overwhelming odds, but being able to beat someone who was equally as strong as you, and knew exactly what you were thinking at all times. At that point it doesn't matter about strength? Intelligence? Courage? It just comes down to raw skill, and going above and beyond of what is expected of someone.

Naruto finished washing off and stepped out of the shower before wrapping a towel around his waist and exiting the bathroom. The moment he opened the door he was greeted by the sight of Hanabi with minor dirt smudges on her cheeks. She had her hands on her hips and was glaring darkly at Naruto with a towel in her hand, presumably going to take a shower. She looked like she was about to say something about her early morning wake up.

"Oh no, don't start." Naruto said holding his hand up shaking his head, "You have far more to answer for then just me sleeping in what I thought was an empty bed." Naruto said as he brushed past the flustered Hyuuga and began to gather up his shinobi gear scattered around the house.

He heard his bathroom door slam loudly, shaking the walls of the house. At first he wanted to get mad, but then he saw the mass of covers on the floor where Hanabi had fallen earlier, and all he could do was begin to snicker.

Naruto was quick to get dressed and was soon enough in the kitchen with a pot on the stove boiling water. He would have loved to grin like he had in the past as he opened up a couple packets of ramen, and called the meal "The breakfast of champions" yet reminiscing about his training with Mei, he could only recall her constantly telling him about better nutrition...

_'Good thing I'm not training with her anymore!' _Naruto thought dryly as he opened one more pack of ramen then he usually would.

Soon Naruto was sitting at the table with a grin on his face, two bowls of ramen and chop sticks laid out, now all he had to do was wait for Hanabi.

Not even a minute later, Hanabi came into view in her standard black shinobi clothes with fishnet underneath. "You look better in orange." Naruto said with a grin as he motioned to the ramen bowl.

"And you look better when you aren't getting dirt all over me when I sleep." Hanabi spat back before adding, "Do you have a hair dryer?" she said slightly frustrated.

Naruto wasn't going to wait any longer seeing as how the girl was just standing there letting her ramen get cold. So right after a mouth full of ramen, he was a bit hunched over the bowl, but it didn't stop him from snorting and looking at the girl. "Yeah? Its called a towel." he finished with a laugh.

Hanabi pursed her lips and was about to try and conjure up an insult to throw back at the blonde. However all she could do is clench her fists, and with a huff storm off to go grab the towel she used.

A knock on the door of the apartment brought Naruto to his feet. He leisurely made his way to the door before opening it, it was rare that he got guests, even more rare that his guests would knock.

When Naruto opened the door he was greeted by his pink haired teammate. Whether this was a terrifying circumstance, or a pleasant surprise... he did not currently know. "Hey Sakura..." he said slowly unsure of why exactly the girl was here before him.

Sakura gave a smile and invited herself into the apartment, something that everyone was apparently doing as of late. Although what Naruto didn't notice was below the smile was a hurt yet confused Sakura at the simple absence of the _'chan'_ that was formerly always added to her name. "Team seven has a mission today at the Hokage tower. We were told yesterday... but you skipped out on practice I guess..." she said as she raised an eyebrow slightly at Naruto.

Naruto shook his head, he couldn't believe so much had happened in just a single day. Perhaps he should blame his clones. However still... it seemed like it had been years. "Uhh what time?" Naruto asked as he back peddled up to try and spot Hanabi, before frowning at the fact that she was no where in sight.

Sakura was puzzled by the way Naruto was acting. Here he used to be so interested in her and yet... now... was she no longer 'perfect' in his eyes? Her hand subconsciously went up and traced the scar she obtained during the exams. "Naruto do you still like me?" she asked, getting straight to the point. A question that couldn't possibly fly over the boy's head.

Naruto looked like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. One second the conversation about a mission, and then the next it was about his former crush?

'_Former... since when had it become my former crush...' _Naruto thought to himself with a frown. "What brought this question about?" Naruto asked doing his best to avoid the question, and perhaps get some insight into why it was asked in the first place.

Sakura gave a brief pained look before saying, "Well I noticed you aren't calling my 'Sakura-chan' anymore. You aren't asking me out on dates... I just wonder if it has to do with the fact that you don't think I am pretty anymore because of... well... this..." she said tracing her scars on her cheek.

Naruto gave a little chuckle and moved forward to his friend. He didn't know when he had become more forward with his friends, whether it being him not scarred of touching Sakura's cheek. Or the fact that he had technically slept with Hanabi twice. Perhaps it was the fact the Mei was constantly... _'trying to seduce me...'_ Naruto grit his teeth a bit at the thought, but shook his head free of it quickly. He went out and touched Sakura's cheek with his hand with a grin before tracing the scar gently. "I think you look just as beautiful as ever." Naruto tried to convince his friend. Perhaps he didn't like her the way he used to, however that was probably just because over the past month and a half? He had grown up.

He finished tracing the two parallel scars on her cheek and grinned. "However if you get two more on the other cheek, I could swear you were starting to copy me?"

Sakura to her credit smiled at the joke, and merely gently pushed her teammate playfully. It was almost... flirty. However all of the atmosphere suddenly changed when Naruto moved in and began to wrap his arms around Sakura in a hug.

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, her face in absolute terror as she violently pushed Naruto away, causing him to nearly trip over a chair behind him.

Sakura's breathing was suddenly ragged almost as if she had just gotten done with a mile long sprint or something.

Naruto stared at his teammate utterly confused, '_What the hell brought that on?' _He thought to himself as he stared at his teammate who in the midst of deep breaths excused herself, but not before catching a glimpse of Hanabi and telling them both to report to the Hokage tower.

Perhaps Naruto would have been surprised by Sakura not yelling about Hanabi who did in fact still look like she just got out of the shower. However with what had just transpired before that? He had a lot more on his mind rather then what Sakura may have to say.

Although he was curious as to why Hanabi had to go to the Hokage tower...

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"Great... the chunin boy wonder is finally here." drawled the now fully instated Fifth Hokage as Naruto and Hanabi both entered the Hokage's office. Beside her however was the Third Hokage, acting as a supervisor and Shizune, her assistant. "Shall I assume this Hyuuga also has a problem with Uzumaki being the team leader for this mission?" Tsunade said with a sigh as she rested her head on her palm.

Naruto looked confused as ever in the meeting, and completely lost. He was supposed to lead a mission? Also what other Hyuuga was she talking about? "What?"

Tsunade resisted the urge to slam her hand against her forehead.

"You blondie!" she said point her finger directly at him, ignoring his teammates and Hanabi. "Are going to be leading an escort mission back through the land of Waves for a blacksmith, and then you are going to be taking a ship to The Hidden Mist village. Originally you were going to be leading your team, and Team Gai. However it turns out I know absolutely nothing about the people in this village, and I find out today Neji hates you so much he wouldn't even be able to follow your orders efficiently. So now here I am holding up a client, because I am busy trying to throw a four man cell together for some pathetic C-rank mission that you were personally requested for." Tsunade said with a scowl.

"Now brat, you understand the circumstances? Your team knows the way to Wave already. You know the people. You in particular Naruto supposedly even know people from the Hidden Mist. So I hope your gear is packed. Your movin' out." Tsunade's tone left no room for argument. "Hanabi, I can care less if you dislike Naruto or not. If you are not going to be taking this mission assigned to you, I will be sending you back two years in the academy. I am quite tired of your family members barking up my tree today."

She grit her teeth as she leaned back in the chair, before she apparently suddenly remembered something and sat back up straight, "Oh and Hanabi? Go see your damn father before you leave! I am tired of him coming to my office every two hours since six this morning, wondering where the hell you have been."

Tsunade reached down by her feet, and poured herself a bit of sake before waving her hand, "Shizune, send in the damn client." she said in frustration.

The Third was sitting in the corner with his hand in front of his face shaking his head as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "Tact... a level head... and restraint Tsunade are all required for the job." he said in nearly a whisper to his former student sitting behind his former desk.

Shizune walked past an utterly surprised, and rather angry Naruto, and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder as she passed by. "I'm sorry about Tsunade..." she said quietly brushing past Naruto.

The team stood around an unspoken level of surprise coursing through everyone, particularly at the part about Naruto being personally requested. Naruto knew from that moment there was far more going on underneath the surface of this mission than was being let on. He was also curious about the look of fear that had gone across Hanabi's face briefly at the mention of her father. Was that why she was at his house last night?

Sakura was standing almost uncomfortably close to Sasuke, and Sasuke once again apparently didn't seem to mind. A concept that was completely foriegn to Naruto. Sakura was also refusing to meet Naruto's gaze any time their eyes were going to meet.

It was soon enough that the door's barged open, and in true form of anyone he had met from the land of water or close to it. Standing there was a tall woman, perhaps 5'9 in height. She had a confident aura about her that was just impossible to suppress. On her back she had a heavily wrapped staff, spear, or something along those lines. She was covered in blue and black all over, it almost made it appear as if the woman and Naruto were teammates. With a blue cloth draped all over various areas of her body, keeping it quite revealing and easy to move in. However it still left... some parts to the imagination. Thankfully the woman did in fact wear a bra... or tube top... or a mix of the two. Naruto knew he wasn't an expert in women's clothing by any means.

The woman couldn't have been a day older then 21, and she had this feral presence about her. Her bronze skin, and her wavy black hair, and piercing green eyes all gave that image off. However he knew that the theme was assisted by the fact that she had a bunch of trinkets, whether it be pierced ears, several necklaces, one with a shark tooth particularly catching his eye. The woman just screamed confident, capable, dangerous, and then her clothing was obviously one not lacking in the sex appeal department. Although he did wonder about one article of clothing. If she eyes, skin, and hair portrayed anything about how beautiful the woman was? Why did she insist on keeping the bottom half of her face covered with a blue cloth? It was an appearance he knew he had seen before, but he could not place where at the moment.

Yet one thing was for certain. The women certainly didn't appear to be a "Blacksmith."

"Alright chil'ren. Lets get this show on t'e road. We got some time to make up fo'." the woman said with an accent, her voice carrying through the room as she made her way confidently out of the door. The team lead by Uzumaki Naruto, forced to follow.

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A few minutes went by before a female sighed inside of the Hokage office. "I don't agree with your plan..." the blonde Kage said.

The Third Hokage gave a small laugh as he brought his pipe to his mouth before saying, "The blonde Hokage's never agree with my plans. Don't worry Tsunade-hime. I know what I am doing."

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The moment the team had gotten a few hours out of Konoha, the blue garbed woman called for a short break, at which point she reached up to the blue cloth that wrapped around like bandages covering her lower face. Naruto suddenly realized by the way the woman pulled the cloth off. The biting at the material, the shake of her head in one direction. He had seen it before on his first escort mission, by the former shinobi swordsman, Zabuza.

So when the still unnamed woman went on to let the cloth drop and pool around the front of her chest. She gave a grin, a shark toothed grin.

"I'm sorr'eh. The bandages were jus' gettin' a little too hot for me'h." she said as she ignored everyone on the team, her eyes burrowing directly into Naruto's.

He knew from sure from that point on, this mission was not just a simple escort.

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Alright, well that wraps up this chapter. Sorry a bit later then expected. Been busy. Still a lot of Hanabi's development this chapter, I took a risk using a character that had really no foundations in the actual series. However I have liked how she has turned out thus far. Although as promised I was going to get the plot moving on, expect to see more of Mei soon.

Keeping this short I do have two things I would like to ask the readers, because it has sort of been a road block for me as I think about the story. I believe it is rather blatantly obvious that Naruto will be going to the Mist after having read this chapter. However there in lies my problem. I know what I want to have happen in the Mist, I have all the little plots and character development figured out. The little key details of what should be happening, and really effect the story. However I don't really have big plot ideas like what the characters are doing exactly when these little developments get revealed. So here is my question to the readers.

**If you would want to see something happen in the Mist, or on this mission in general (It goes from Wave to the Mist). What would you like to see? Or in general just give your ideas because I have a few, but not enough currently.**

**x  
**

**Secondly... I believe it is fairly obvious that the woman shown at the end of the chapter is a female member of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman. My question is more about how I write her. Is the accent that I am giving her too hard to read? If it is, go ahead and say so because I am fine with leaving it out. I much rather have a character that is easy to read in a story, rather then a "cool accent" that forces readers to do a double take and screw up their flow reading just to figure out what the woman said.  
**


	17. A Bonding In The Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Naruto sighed as their team came to their first of many camp grounds they were likely to stay at on this mission. The trip thus far had been completely uneventful, but one thing was for certain, everyone was tense. Well everyone except for their client... she appeared perfectly content with grinning at Naruto with her sharpened teeth.

Naruto could honestly say he wished he wasn't leading the mission. Between Sakura being utterly silent, and following Sasuke around like he was her life line. Or Sasuke actually not being... a dick... Or Hanabi who absolutely refused to turn off her byakugan and occasionally turning her head from left to right taking in everything around them. It was as if she was afraid of someone catching her. Perhaps of course it could just be "first mission jitters"... he knew he got them when the demon brothers attacked him and his team.

Naruto knew that even he was tense. While he hadn't told his team. He knew... he knew this woman was one of the seven shinobi swordsman. Having now met three of the seven, and four with this woman. He had probably seen as many of the seven swordsman as Mei in the past ten years. To say the woman was frustrating would be an understatement. She was confident, obviously capable, wore enticing clothing, had an exotic accent, and was not against offhanded flirting comments all the while keeping her cool.

Perhaps she was frustrating because she made him flustered? He knew deep down that having a hunch about being lied to on a mission warrants reporting back to the village. However Naruto knew he was being a bit selfish. He could try and rationalize it away as much as he wanted. 'But if we try to run back, this woman may just kill us to get what she wants... which is likely me... and I know we wont be able to hold up against one of the seven swordsman in a fair fight.'

Although that was what he tried to tell himself as he continued walking down the road to Wave country, and ultimately The Hidden Mist Village. The truth was he knew he would be seeing Mei. Sending someone to his village just to be escorted back, and requesting his team. Yeah that was right up her alley. Add to the fact that Mei never actually lied to him, she just withheld information... he could definitely see this obviously powerful women they were escorting actually being a blacksmith. Just an extremely powerful blacksmith. So in truth there was nothing wrong with this mission... yet...

Naruto looked over the camp grounds. It had been sprinkling rain drops for the past hour or so, so they were all setting up tents that were preparing for the weather. Sasuke had opted to set a relatively large tent up on high ground under a tree. He probably wasn't going to be getting wet at all. Sakura, the true bookworm expert had set up a perfect shelter in a matter of moments utilizing a series of overhanging branches.

Naruto turned his eye toward Hanabi to make sure the last member of the team was getting through things smoothly. Although he was a bit surprised when he saw her with a huge bag in front of her, digging through it. It was like she took her entire wardrobe with her when she left Konoha. Naruto pursed his lips at he looked at the girl. She still had her byakugan activated and Naruto knew that despite her looking at the back, she was still looking around.

The sound of thunder in the distance and a brief white flash lit up the entire camp. It made Hanabi instantly freeze, completely paralyzed with what she was formerly doing. Naruto was about to go over there and see what was wrong until he heard the sound of shifting rubble and felt a large gust of wind fly by him. Naruto spun around as if he was preparing for a fight, at least until he saw what was before him, and it utterly stumped him.

The female swordsman was crouched before a scroll that she was quickly proceeding to roll back up, and before her was now a small hut. It wasn't by any means a grand house. However she did have a decent sized rain proof hut on demand apparently, that was impressive.

"Eying my bedroom now are we Naruto-chan?" the female asked not bothering to face Naruto as she stabbed her cloth covered weapon into the ground beside the hut that had gathered the eyes of everyone in the camp ground. The woman's question only served to get everyone looking at the two of them. Whether it be the content of the question, or the exotic accent that instantly grabbed the attention of those that hadn't heard it before. She spun around with a feral grin and licked one of her many fangs. "I'll let you join me. Mei says your a fantastic kisser." she said as she put her hands on her hips beckoning Naruto forward.

Naruto grit his teeth at the mention of Mei, but kept his cool about the situation as he retorted, "I'll pass, I'd be afraid of you biting my lip, or biting my tongue off." Naruto said as he reached into one of his few pockets and pulled out a sealing scroll that had his stuff in it.

"Well normally I do get pretty rough..." she began with a pause, "However for one as delicate as you Naruto-chan, perhaps I can make an exception." the woman continued to taunt.

Naruto scoffed and said nothing to the woman and merely gave her a dismissive wave of his hand. Their conversation had attracted enough attention as it was. It would only get worse if Naruto continued to speak to her and escalated the conversation into something... ridiculous.

The moment his attention returned to his team members, their attention reverted back to their own tasks. So Naruto went on to setting up his own tent and unrolling a bed spread. He wasn't a fan of sleeping bags, he had always been paranoid at the prospect of some enemy shinobi coming into his tent to attack him, and he couldn't do anything completely tucked tight in a sleeping bag.

While it was raining, Sasuke was able to easily set up a fire in his covered area of the camp. Sakura had taken to sitting by the fire, and Hanabi... well she was still digging through her bag... but she kept on tensing up every time there was a sound of thunder.

Sasuke appeared lost in his own thoughts, sitting on a log gazing into the fire. There were so many things he wanted to ask his two teammates, and yet the words just couldn't seem to form. Perhaps it was because their previous relationship together was... pathetic. Still, at least he used to be able to form the simple words of, "How are you?"

Naruto grabbed five large rocks and put them close by the fire before laying out a sack beside the fire. Once that was said and done, Naruto took his own seat with his "teammates" and they sat in complete utter silence. He could only hope that some day in the future one of them would prompt a conversation, because Naruto for some reason knew it wasn't going to be him.

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Naruto awoke with a start and launched his gauntlet encased arm forward. Formerly? He was sleeping quite comfortably. In a well erected tent that was kept quite the warm temperature ever since he moved the hot stones from the fire into the corner of his tent. Sure the thunder was a bit loud at times, but he was able to ignore it eventually. The rain beating on his tent wasn't even noticeable after awhile. It was just a constant soft hum in your ear that was easy to ignore.

Although, a person walking into his tent and disturbing this balance by gently rubbing a wet foot past his own in his sleep? Now that would surely wake him. Naruto finally took in just who was standing before him. Deep down in his mind he felt that if he blindly shot out his hand to someone trying to approach him while he was sleeping... he was inclined to think that just based on past experiences, the person standing over him would have been Rin.

Yet cold wet rain water trickled down into his gauntlet gently touching his skin. His "intruder" was utterly soaked. There were few words that could really express how he felt about the situation. "What... the hell... Hanabi..."

There was the white eyed Hyuuga running a hand through her hair tucking a few wet strands behind her ear, trying to act as if his comment didn't effect her. However Naruto was able to notice that she was barely keeping her composure. She was shivering right in front of him, it idly made him wonder just exactly what time it was and just how long the girl had been out in the rain.

Upon Hanabi's lack of words, Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why are you soaked, and why are you in my tent getting me wet." Naruto said in a mild irritation at the fact he was woken up by the girl.

Hanabi rolled her eyes trying to play off the situation as if the answer was completely obvious. "I don't have a tent with me, I tried my best to use a tree as shelter. However when the wind picked up I had to come here." She didn't make any movement, almost as if she was really unsure if she was out of line with her current presence.

Naruto internally frowned but tried his best to make light out of the situation, "You know? I am beginning to think that you just want to sleep with me again..." he left the comment in the air, and the way he said it... the amusement in his voice... it was obvious he was hinting at a double meaning.

Hanabi flushed red for a moment before scowling and lifting her foot, more than ready to stomp down on the blonde. At least that was until thunder had sounded, before the tent was lit up completely from the lightning in the distance. The action had caused Hanabi to go completely still and the briefest expression of fear flashed across her eyes.

Naruto paused for a moment looking at the girl before rolling his eyes. "You're afraid of lightning?" Naruto asked incredulously, realizing that this could very well be the single reason he was woken up. Naruto could only shake his head as he realized he would take forever trying to get back to sleep in this storm, and he was awoken because Hanabi was scarred of lightning. Naruto could only laugh lightly at the situation, even more so at the red face of Hanabi.

"It's not funny!" she hissed angrily as she kicked the blonde's foot. However it didn't stop his series of chuckles at her expense.

"Hmm..." was all Naruto said as he rolled over his chest rising and falling a bit out of pace as he held in his laughs.

Hanabi scowled, "Fuck you then! It's not funny!" she nearly yelled, but no one would hear it through the storm. She quickly spun around and opened the tent flap... only to be flung backwards to the ground.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Of course you can stay, but the lightning thing is a bit funny. Iwa shinobi? I can understand people being afraid of them. Demons? Sure. However a shinobi afraid of a little thunder storm?" he said as he sat up and closed the tent flap ignoring the sprawled girl on the floor.

Hanabi gave a combination between some form of a hiss and a moan, "It... it's so warm right here..." she said as she turned her body to where she assumed the heat was, "This tent is almost like a sauna." she said with a comfortable sigh.

Naruto shook his head and grinned, "I am so glad you are comfortable with taking my sleeping space... again."

Hanabi ignored the comment opting to rub her arms and try her best to get heated up. Even if the tent was warm, it didn't change the fact that she was laying around in wet clothes.

"You should take you clothes off." Naruto said as he laid himself back down beside the girl in the now rather cramped tent.

Hanabi went red once again and promptly turned on Naruto looking as if she was more then ready to stab a kunai into the jinchuriki's stomach.

Naruto quickly realized where he had overstepped his boundaries with what he had set, but wasn't about to apologize. He held up a hand calmly in front of his face, "I am not trying to get you naked, I just don't want you to freeze because you are too worried about your own modesty." Despite his statement, he doubted she would take anything off. The girl was utterly stubborn, and that much had been shown in their previous encounters. Although he was surprised with her response.

"Turn around..." she said weakly, conceding with Naruto's previous logic despite her embarrassment with the situation.

Naruto had to do a double take to make sure he heard the girl right, but he quickly grew incredibly red in the face, realizing just exactly what was happening. He rolled over, his back facing her as heat rose to his cheeks. Perhaps he should have just let the girl freeze, and hope she didn't die by morning. Now Naruto had to worry about himself dying by morning.

The small hisses and sounds of wet clothes coming off were heard making less than moral thoughts run through Naruto's head about his current situation. He realized then and there that he likely wouldn't be getting to sleep.

Hanabi began shifting around, he legs and feet grazing against Naruto's occasionally, before he felt what he could only assume to be pants get taken off. Naruto was chanting various internal mantras over and over in his head, but they all essentially led to the same place. _'Keep your bra and panties on... don't kill me...'_

He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that when she grabbed the blanket and officially wormed her way under, she indeed opted to keep her underwear on. He turned his head slightly to turn around, but immediately regretted it when he saw her back. Normally this wouldn't be a bad thing, nothing wrong with a back right? It wasn't the back that was the problem. It was the quite obvious lack of bra straps, and the only thing she was wearing was fishnet... which every genin knew from that chunin proctor lady... fishnet covers nothing.

Before Naruto could roll back so he wasn't facing Hanabi the young Hyuuga spoke. "I'm sorry about this..." she sad slowly, it was obvious that the white eyed girl wasn't used to delivering any form of apology.

Naruto pursed his lips before he could respond. He slid himself into his own covers, doing his very best to not touch the girl. However it was a blanket made for one person... so naturally their legs and even his chest would graze her back on occasion. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Hanabi was being a complete cover hog, wrapping herself up like a newborn baby. "It's fine..." Naruto said with a pause before he grabbed some over the covers and pulled so his back wouldn't be exposed to the air.

Hanabi shrunk into herself upon realization as to just why Naruto was tugging at the covers so much. She had nearly three fourths of entire blanket. "Sorry..." She said once again, this time significantly more annoyed with the fact that she was feeling inclined to apologize.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he got the blanket to effectively cover him while still keeping Hanabi wrapped up heavily. "You can stop apologizing..." Naruto said with a sigh as he laid down on his side facing her, resting his head on his arm.

Hanabi pursed her lips and instantly went tense before getting the shivers as lightning lit up the tent once again. This action didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, which only caused him to give a deep breath before asking.

"So why are you scared on lightning?" no longer getting a laugh off of the girl's fear. If she was literally going to just lay there shivering every time lightning struck, she wouldn't get any sleep. Hell... he probably wouldn't get any either.

Hanabi didn't say anything for a good couple minutes as they just laid there in silence. It almost appeared that the girl just was going to ignore the question until she finally answered, "My father..." she began slowly biting her lower lip before shrugging her shoulders. "He told me when I was a kid that thunder and lightning were 'scary' things that should be feared. He even went on to hire a lightning jutsu expert for a few months of my training when I was younger. I had to practice my flexibility by dodging lightning jutsu... every time I was out of line I would be shocked. I even found out one time he played a recording of thunder sounding right outside of my window really loud. I thought it was just a storm, but I had never gotten a chance to sleep that night." Hanabi said with a frown before flinching lightly at the resounding boom in the distance.

"I was a kid at the time, so I didn't really know why he did that to me for a long time. I found out later though it was because my sister was kidnapped by Kumo shinobi before. My father... he feared that they would try to come back some time. He felt that if I feared lightning, Kumogakure's standard element, then perhaps I would avoid lightning users. That my fear I guess would keep me safe in the long run. However... years went by... and Kumo never showed up again. So I was just sort of stuck with this fear in the back of my mind that I can't really get rid of..." Hanabi finished with a frown at the thought.

Naruto was almost wide eyed throughout the explanation, but once the little story was over, he had to say the first thing that popped up in his mind. "Wow... you have a fucked up dad..."

Hanabi knew in the past she probably would have scowled at the notion and defended her father's honor in some sort of battle. Yet now... "Heh..." she laughed in amusement. "He was willing to do worse things to me..." she said as she closed her eyes telling herself internally that she wouldn't cry at the thought of her father wanting to brand her for a life of slavery.

Naruto stayed silent at that, there wasn't much one could say to such a statement. Naruto sighed while he shook his head before putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Get some sleep, you are probably tired." Naruto whispered calmly in the dark tent.

It was apparent that the girl had opted to take his advice when her only response was a sleepy "Mhmm..." in the midst of a yawn.

Naruto held back a snort of amusement and closed his eyes doing his best to fall back into a sleep and get rest for the inevitably long day ahead of them tomorrow.

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"Awww now aren't yall just the cutest thang." came a female voice peering through the tent which served to stir the teens that were formerly sleeping. "If I knew you got that touchy in bed Naruto... perhaps I would of forced you to share mine..." drawled the voice from the parted flap.

Naruto stirred awake to the woman's voice and grit his teeth. He had likely overslept due to the fact that he was awoken mid way through the night. Naruto started getting all of his senses together one by one, but was quick to realize that he had indeed gotten a bit... touchy in his sleep. At least if his arm wrapped around Hanabi and gently cupping one of her breasts in his hand was anything to go by.

Naruto glared towards the tent flap only to see the woman arrogantly smirking down at him. She shrugged her shoulders and gave Naruto a wink, "Time to get up pretty boy. However if you still have your needs to fulfill..." She barred her sharpened teeth at the blonde, "I may let you have a taste of a real woman." she said with a grin before exaggerating a wave of a hand over her developed form.

Naruto not intending to fall for the bait of yet another women from the Mist merely scowled. "More like a real psycho." he said with a sneer.

The woman didn't skip a beat, but was still amused at the boy's comeback. "It's all relative in the shinobi world Naruto-chan. However... I see why Mei finds you so..." she gave a pause for dramatic effect as she stuck her head further into the tent, "interesting..."

Naruto scoffed at the mention of Mei, although try as he might, something in his heart skipped a beat at the mention of Mei's interest in him. _'Damn unresolved issues...'_ Naruto thought to himself dryly.

Naruto tried to shut down the entire conversation with a mere comment, "I'm frankly not the slightest bit interested in you." Naruto said with a scowl as his thoughts drifted to Mei and the fact that she obviously sent a shinobi after him... and how Konoha couldn't have noticed that.

"I know, you are interested in Mei right?" the female asked with amusement in her voice.

Naruto not really paying attention unconsciously gave a no committal "Yeah..." However he quickly came to realize just what he said.

"Wait!" He said quickly trying to correct and redeem himself from what he just said with a scowl on his face. However the woman apparently had left after her minor conversation victory. Naruto clenched his hands rather hard, at least until he realized that he was still holding Hanabi. So the loud ouch snapped him back to his senses, but it didn't erase the increasing number of frown lines that were already encroaching on his already crowded forehead.

Naruto gave a growl of frustration as he sat up and tossed the covers off of himself. He quickly gathered up his gear from inside the tent and turned to Hanabi, "Get up, we have to get moving..." Naruto said bitterly. His encounter with the still... mysterious swordswoman was beginning to grate on his nerves.

Naruto gave a huff as he got outside of his tent. He was surprised that the ground wasn't just several pools of ice with how cold it was. Even as he huffed, his hot breath would create a thick white mist.

"Get the princess up lover boy." Naruto heard a voice call out from behind him. He cursed himself for not really being aware of his surroundings. However he would admit in the current weather conditions, his bodies senses weren't up to speed. Naruto however paid no mind to the voice, he knew who had said it. He instead just opted to put on his gauntlet and prepare to take down the tent. Although it apparently wasn't going to come down without little comments from the blue garbed woman.

"Oh that's cute." she said from up in a tree as she gestured to Naruto's gauntlet. "In the Mist, our fashion statements are more about bandages..." She drawled on shooting Naruto a look seeing his reaction. Although upon receiving no visible reaction, she merely frowned and continued to tease "Do you want to see all of the things I can wrap up with bandages?"

Naruto scoffed at the last part and shook his head as he began disassembling the tent. "Hanabi get up!" he called from the outside of the tent, ignoring the woman's question. He glared upwards toward the woman in the tree, who only returned to him a smile that feigned innocence.

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"Why did the bridge get named after you Naruto?" Sakura drawled in a mild frustration as they all looked up at the big name overhanging the now incredibly busy bridge. The bridge was full of fisherman on each side as well as carts and carriages constantly moving across the bridge.

Sasuke who had been silent nearly the entire mission made his presence known in a retort to their teammate, "Because he actually did something Sakura..." Sasuke said bitterly as he recalled the fact that Naruto beat the opponent he couldn't defeat. Sure he achieved his own accomplishments on this mission, such as obtaining the sharingan... but still.

Sasuke gave a parting glance towards Naruto who was still star struck at the whole situation. '_How is it that the academy failure has passed me... in everything...'_ Sasuke thought to himself. He probably would have frowned... if he wasn't an Uchiha. However as an Uchiha, he had long since perfected a mask of impassiveness even in the most grave of circumstances.

Sakura's head fell at Sasuke's words, she wasn't even going to try and create a comeback against that. She had looked back on her shinobi career a lot lately. She was pathetic... she was a failure. All of that time she was so busy yelling at Naruto, and calling him an idiot. She was so busy worrying about getting a date with Sasuke that she put aside her own training. Then as time went on, she was virtually standing still while the person she always called an idiot grew into the strongest student to come out of their academy class.

Sakura pursed her lips as she thought back to just what she actually did on this mission. Or more importantly... everything she didn't do. This place for her only brought back bad memories. It reminded her of her personal failures.

"Awww this is cute, Mei-chan has an obsession with a hero that is the Jinch-"

Naruto grit his teeth in mild pain, and anger. He moved his hand to cover the woman's mouth so that his secret wasn't revealed to Sakura or Sasuke. However it just rewarded him with her teasingly catching a couple of his fingers in her mouth, which instantly got trapped by her razor sharp teeth. She woman bit down on Naruto, his fingers getting sliced open violently. Naruto withdrew his fingers in pain as he glared at the woman. However she did no more then lick some of Naruto's blood from her lips before making her way forward across the bridge.

Sasuke drew a kunai more than prepared to show their client the proper level of respect that should be shown to their body guards... at least until he was halted by Naruto forcefully raising his hand before Sasuke telling the boy to halt his actions.

Naruto stared at the woman's retreating form with an ever increasing scowl as he clutched his fingers in his hands. There was a mild silence with the group... at least until they felt the woman was out of earshot.

"What the hell are you doing dobe?" Sasuke asked in an annoyed tone as he looked at his teammates fingers.

Naruto looked down at his own hand and grit his teeth, trying to avoid a conversation like this. He knew that Sasuke at the very least had to expect something was up after the past day around the woman. Surely he had noticed her physically impressive form with defined muscles, and the sheer fact that she was walking around without fear... unopposed. She didn't need to be guarded. '_She is guarding me..._' Naruto thought to himself with a frown as the woman's form grew smaller and smaller as she made her way across the bridge.

"What do you mean?" Naruto tried to play off the question with another as he began leading their team across the bridge.

"You are letting our client walk all over you, injure you, and treat you like a dog. Is there something about this mission you aren't telling us? Or are you just as dumb as you look?" Sasuke questioned whilst keeping his own deeper suspicions to himself.

Naruto didn't give any visible reaction much to his credit as he pulled ahead of his friends while making his way across the bridge. "I'm not letting the client walk over me... She just knows the Mizukage... apparently. So she is teasing me about the relationship me and Mei developed over the month before I..." Naruto paused for only a moment as he searched for words to redirect the conversation, "kicked your ass in the chunin exams and got promoted." Naruto said with a cheeky grin, mentally patting himself on the back for that quick thinking.

Sasuke scowled at not only the taunt... but the truth of it all. He didn't press any further not willing to continue the conversation. The four young shinobi all opted to just walk in silence, a trait that was quite uncommon for team 7. At least now since Naruto wasn't constantly talking, and had grown over the past few weeks. The silence would have been deafening if it weren't for the cheers of an overly excited fisherman who had just caught "The catch of a lifetime!"

Naruto did his best to block out all noise as he made his way across the bridge. It was full of people. Whether they be excited fisherman, children running up and down playing tag around moving caravans, or the young couples just out for a walk. This wasn't the bridge he remembered. No this was the bridge that the "Demon of the Mist" met his end. This was the bridge that his first honest friend met their end. The person that taught him his way of the ninja. The person that taught him how important it was to have precious people, to have something worth fighting for.

Naruto took a quick glance towards Hanabi as he thought over Haku's words in his head. He used to think he had so many precious people, and yet ever since training with Mei, that number had decreased drastically. Whether it was because of his personal ideals... or ideals imparted on him by his sensei for the chunin exam? He didn't know.

Naruto pressed forward ignoring the surprised whispers and giggles as people, particularly females pointed at him. He didn't know whether to take the attention negatively or positively. Generally when in Konoha, if a group of teenagers were point at him and then giggling, it meant they were making fun of him. However the flushed faces of a few of them spoke volumes. It reminded him of some of the females that had tried to approach him during the chunin exams.

Naruto couldn't help but grin brightly as he made his way down the dirt road. He had always wanted to become acknowledged and respected. Then here he was, walking around well known as the most recent chunin exam champion, and he had a bridge named after him. Not many shinobi could say they even accomplished that much publicly in their entire career. The problem was Naruto didn't know whether to feel good about this... or bad.

In the world of a shinobi, on paper it is best that you remain an unknown. The less information about you out in the world only means there is less of a chance of just general bad things to happen to you. Whether it be your family being targeted? Your friends? An assassin coming for you himself? Enemy shinobi knowing your skill set?

Naruto frowned as he walked down the street trying to zone out all of his surroundings. To think he had wanted acknowledgment his entire life and yet now here... he had it... and it left him bitter? Ever since he started thinking more about his actions due to his training with Mei the idea of being "famous" was becoming less and less desirable.

Naruto just knew the more that he walked through the town? The more he felt the lingering need to just get out of the town... after they gathered their annoying client of course.

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"Oh my! Naruto! Sasuke! Sakura! I can't believe you have returned here so soon!" cried Tsunami, the daughter of the old bridge builder.

Naruto couldn't even hold back his grin. The woman had wasted no time in coming forward the moment she opened the door and pulled him, as well as his teammates into a tight hug. At least as tight as a hug of four people could get. Naruto could remember his time with this woman vividly. Although it wasn't just her, it was her entire family. To Naruto sure they meant a bit more, they resembled something he would likely never have... a family.

However it didn't dissuade the fact that the woman currently hugging them, her motherly attitude, and her bright personality and general outlook. She could make his team, a team of ninjas, a team of killers... smile.

The woman was quick to take notice of the other two members of the group that weren't there on their last visit. However that didn't stop her from welcoming them into her home freely. Perhaps she felt that whoever Naruto and his team were able to welcome in their company, she would be able to welcome into her home. Although Naruto was able to spot the briefest flash of disappointment cross the mother's face as she looked over the full team. Perhaps she was disappointed at the current absence of Kakashi, after all he had done a lot for their village as well. Maybe it was a bit more than that? Naruto really didn't want to read into it. He was more concerned with things that could occur on the mission, such as having to separate Tazuna's family from the female swordsman.

Naruto sighed to himself as he withdrew himself from the woman's hug. An action that was soon followed by Sakura, and oddly enough Sasuke lingered for a few extra moments. The Uchiha almost look fragile in the woman's arms? Although, this was once again a matter Naruto didn't want to concern himself with. Sure he had his own ideas as to why Sasuke could appear "Fragile" in a mother's arms. Although delving into those depths could very well bring about questions of his own parents... and lack of general parenting. That was a place in his mind he didn't want to visit any time soon. Especially on a potentially very dangerous mission.

Naruto tried his best to be charming, and how he used to act when he was formerly in this country. After all it was only just a few months ago. Although in his currently tense state knowing that an incredibly dangerous and more likely than not, sadistic woman was standing behind him as he proceeded to ask Tsunami the question he had come to ask. With a laugh Naruto shrugged his shoulders at the woman's surprise and gave a light laugh, "Ha ha... Yeah..." Naruto began with a weak smile. "We are currently on another mission, this time to Water Country. Since your house was on the way, I figured we could all stop by..."

Wasting no time Tsunami moved out from between the doorway, "Oh my..." she began as she covered her mouth with her hand before quickly ushering the group into her house, almost with force.

Naruto was a bit surprised by her reaction to the news. He wanted to say "It was just a mission." to the mother. Although he knew that wasn't the truth, and it wasn't the truth the last time they made it to this country. Fighting an A rank missing ninja as a group of genin is never "just a mission". He could understand her worry given her previous experience with shinobi.

"Well..." she began as she eventually relocated everyone from the doorway to the table they had once shared a few dinners at. "I know that Inari will be very excited to see you all again, as will my father."

Naruto gave a weak grin as he thought back to the bridge builder and his grandson. Although as much as Naruto would prefer to be able to dwell on the more pleasant experiences of his life, he couldn't. Naruto gave a noncommittal laugh in response to the mother before speaking, "Yeah... I'd like to see them too... but... right now I have a mission to do and I was just wondering if it would be alright for my team to stay at your place once again."

Tsunami opened her mouth in surprise before closing it once again as she looked over the group before her. Indeed this didn't appear to be your standard house call, particularly with the woman in the back of the group running her tongue over an abnormally sharp tooth. She turned to look Naruto in the eye and fought down a mild sadness that wanted to creep up through her body and take over. Those eyes, and his whole posture were no longer the young loud mouthed boy she remembered yelling across the dinner table last time he had visited. She could no longer picture him screaming he was going to be Hokage, the boy had changed. For better or for worse... Tsunami didn't know.

"Yeah sure!" she said after a few moments of silence trying to give her voice some enthusiasm and not appear as if she was just trying to analyze Naruto right in front of them. "You are always welcome here." She said with her best smile as she gestured to the core members of Team Seven. She pursed her lips for a moment as she took in the extra members before saying, "But... you know from last time we were a bit limited on space. So two of you will probably have to share a bed." she finished slowly to gauge the reaction of the group before her.

"That's fine." was Naruto's rather bland reply. It made Tsunami suddenly remember just who exactly were standing before her. Despite them being what she dubbed to be as children. They were shinobi.

Tsunami did her best to straighten her clothes before saying, "Well alright... I believe you all know the way, make yourselves at home. I'm going to go see if Dad and Inari are around so they can see you before you guys leave."

When Naruto eventually heard the front door close behind the woman, he breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but feel as if he was being judged every second he was under her gaze. It irritated him and certainly made him uncomfortable.

Add to the fact that it almost felt as if he was guiding around a team of mindless drones with how silent his team was being. It suddenly made him realize that in the past he was the sole person that got his team talking, because in truth they had nothing in common. The reason conversations started in the past were essentially the vicious cycle that was developed in his team. He would ask out Sakura to get painfully rejected, only for Sakura to ask out Sasuke to get painfully rejected herself. Other times it would be Sakura yelling at him being an idiot, or explaining things to him like he was mentally challenged. She just couldn't do any of those things anymore, especially since he outranked her.

Sasuke probably was bitter at the recent turn of events. He had always been able to sit back comfortably knowing he was the star member of their team, the rookie of the year, the last Uchiha, the shinobi to beat on Team Seven. That was no longer the case, and Naruto knew he proved that quite harshly in the chunin exams beating a Hyuuga in close combat, Suna's jinchuriki, getting in melee range with a wind user, and defeating the last Uchiha.

He hadn't actually gone anywhere with Hanabi before, and he knew he probably got under her skin. Otherwise she probably only spoke when she felt her opinion needed to be known. Or perhaps it was just the fact that it was her first mission and she was a bit jumpy because of it.

Naruto said nothing to the team and merely opted to head up the stairs and down the hall to where all of the rooms were located, and ignored the light rhythm of footsteps that followed behind him slowly.

Naruto turned quickly into the first room he found and took off his sash and laid it out on the bed to use as a simple way to mark his territory. Yet as soon as Naruto laid his sash out on the bed, he was out the window. It wasn't like there was much to do in Wave country anyways. Of course he wanted to meet Inari and Tazuna again, but for now he had other things he rather do. Such as visit Zabuza and Haku's grave.

Although if Naruto had taken the time to pay attention to his surroundings, he would of realized he was being followed.

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Naruto finally made his way to the large clearing overlooking the newly constructed bridge. Although it wasn't the view he had ran all the way out there for. The large decapitating carving knife sticking out of the ground was a dead give away as to just who was put to rest there. At least if you got to meet the two shinobi before they died.

As Naruto walked up closer to the graves he couldn't help but feel his gut getting tighter with every step. Naruto reached forward when he got to the graves and gently put a hand out and rested it on the cross with a belt attached to it flying in the wind.

_'Haku...'_ Naruto thought to himself sadly as he got down on one knee. The experience itself was foreign to him, this feeling that he felt as he stared at the two graves before him. He knew he had grown up without anything to really lose, so was he feeling loss? Naruto pursed his lips at the thought, he truly had no idea what he was feeling. Perhaps it was guilt, guilt at the thought that he had nearly killed Haku in the final moments he spent with the person. For someone who had taught him one of the most valuable lessons Naruto thought he had ever had the privilege to learn? He hated that more than likely Haku's dying memory of him was a raging demon prepared to kill him.

Naruto hadn't prepared anything to say to either of them, and in truth he didn't know what he would or could say now. None of it would make a difference. Although he was saved from the situation by a light shuffle of feet that had come up behind Naruto. Naruto was idly cursing himself for being so sloppy to not notice that someone had been able to sneak up on him. In an instant with practiced speed Naruto had spun around, a water sword materializing rapidly in the air before him more than prepared to parry a strike that could be coming from any possible enemy.

So when he turned around and came face to face with the woman they were supposed to be "guarding" on the mission. Naruto's eyes widened a bit in surprise before letting the water sword crumble into the ground before him.

The woman did her best to not appear fazed by the situation, although she likely had the same common question running through her head when she encountered Naruto. _'Did he just create that blade without a water source?'_ She was quick to squash the question in favor of one that she felt was far more important at the moment.

"What happened to them?" she asked rather weakly, her voice portraying the more fragile mental state she was slowly falling into at the possibilities that led to her former comrade's death.

Naruto raised an eyebrow for a moment at the woman he virtually knew nothing about and wagered whether he should tell her anything or not. Although Naruto took a moment to put himself in the woman's shoes and eventually conceded. He realized that if something happened to his own teammates, he too would want to know as well. It wasn't like the woman couldn't find out what happened on the bridge by just asking a random civilian in Wave these days.

Although that did not stop Naruto from pulling his punches on the matter, "Haku, his apprentice died due to an lightning assassination jutsu through the chest. Zabuza followed shortly after, injured and proceeded to slaughter a portion of a thug army employed by Gato, just to get to the said man." Naruto said without emotion as he recalled the sight. It became evident at that moment to him just why Zabuza was called the Demon of the Mist.

Naruto turned toward the woman to gauge her reaction at the news. He had expected many things to flash across the woman's face. Given his past encounters with the woman up until this point, he expected to find a relatively uncaring person merely looking to report back to her village leader the circumstances of the death of one of their missing ninja.

So when Naruto turned and saw a deep frown, and eyes that portrayed a cross between sorrow and pity. Well he had to admit. The sight didn't fit his preconceived concept of the woman's character.

The woman moved forward, closer to Zabuza's grave before kneeling down by the large blade and put her hand on the hilt.

Naruto could tell by the woman's posture, and his own suddenly growing sense of discomfort that he was intruding on a rather personal and intimate moment. Naruto was quick to turn around and say, "Well... I'm going back to Tazuna's, I trust that you don't really need me to body guard you?" Naruto said slowly without turning to face the woman.

"I'll be fine..." came the quiet voice of the woman, a voice that no longer portrayed her former confidence.

Naruto took in a breath before making his way back to the house. However the woman currently in a kneel didn't care that he was out of earshot.

"Hey... Zabuza... it's Miyuki... I guess your friend was right? I guess I too was right about you..." Naruto as he grew further out of earshot was no longer able to distinguish what was being said by the female swordsman. Although he wasn't about to stick around and eavesdrop on the woman even if he was a bit curious about what was to be said. He had to mentally prepare himself for further leading his team and an apparently ridiculously long boat ride tomorrow.

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Long time no see. I believe this alone answers many questions to the countless PMs I would get daily. No I'm not dead. No I have not discontinued my stories. Etc etc etc.

I have taken time off from writing(and posting it) pretty much all around. I turned 18 this summer, and I needed to figure out what the hell exactly I wanted to do with my life and to just go out and do them. So whether this be hanging out with friends? Getting a job? Writing general outlines and ideas for original stories that I can co-write later on with my father? Finding an awesome girl who I really enjoy talking to...

All of these things cut into my writing time, because frankly all of these things I wasn't formerly doing as often, or I didn't formerly have.

So I will take a page out from what another author on this site puts quite well and plainly. I love the fans of my stories. You are all amazing. However this is merely a hobby, and until I am actually being paid to write? This is just going to be a hobby. So don't get mad at me if I stop writing for a period of time, I will eventually be back.

x

Anyways onto directly speaking about this chapter, and a tie in to Consequences of an Honest Enemy.

I absolutely hate this chapter and how it turned out. I've had it on my computer for months, and I just really didn't like it. I wrote a lot and I felt nothing particularly happened. It showcased the final tiny bit of character development you will see directly out of Hanabi for a bit at least. However beyond that, you didn't really see much getting done and it put a sour taste in my mouth. Lastly it put me in an extremely extremely extremely tight spot with both this story, and another one of my stories.

Both This story and Consequences of an Honest Enemy have now officially alligned. They are at the exact same spots, both Naruto's and his team in their respective stories are waiting at this dock in wave country. My issue is, I don't want to release two chapters for their respective stories, and they both feel so so similar. So expect another break, hopefully not 3 months again. However I do want to figure out what I intend to do in the Mist in both stories. Otherwise they will mesh together too much, and it will feel as if I am cheating one of the stories and I don't want that.

Also expect me to just start randomly posting single chapter shorts, particularly story starts for random fanfiction that I did over these couple months when I was bored.

Read and Review I guess. Although I am admitting myself that I dislike this chapter.


	18. Something Worth Living For

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Naruto...

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Naruto took in a deep breath of fresh air as he pushed open the large double doors before him. It was definitely a new and interesting experience, being out at sea. The team had boarded a relatively large ferry. It was typically used for just transporting goods. However that didn't stop the captain or anyone else from buying their way onto the ferry for a reasonable price. All of the goods were kept below the deck, while the actual deck was constantly full of fisherman and other passengers.

Apparently there were a few ferries much like this one in a circuit to keep a steady means of transportation going between Water country and the other elemental nations. The trips would take around five hours one way with thirty minute stops at their destinations. Those circumstances made the ferry a rather ideal place to fish for many of the fisherman on board. Although Naruto knew that the calm skies, peaceful waves, and shining sun were not a true indicator for what could happen on this ship ride. No, Naruto knew he had to think of the worst possible scenario, and expect it to happen. That was apparently a curse with his team. To take a simple C-rank mission, and get assaulted by A-rank missing ninja. Enter the Forest of Death for a chunin exam? A team of genin suddenly find themselves against Konoha's greatest missing ninja. No nothing was ever simple when it came to Team Seven.

Naruto sighed as he made his way over to the relatively cheap chain railing before gently leaning on it and looking out across the sea. As much as he knew he should be enjoying his first time out at sea, and the calming atmosphere about the place... he couldn't. He just kept on thinking... about everything that had been going on in his life so far.

His life had turned around so quickly in such a short time. It was as if the moment the month before chunin exam finals began was in reality where his life began. The moments and trials that he would go through in life that he knew would come to define him as a person. It all started with Mei...

Naruto had to stop himself from letting out a sigh as he thought toward Mei, the woman who had found the entrance to his life, and then blasted the doors open with a pound of exploding notes. Naruto pursed his lips at the thought of the woman. She was Manipulative._ 'But beautiful_.' Naruto silently cursed his subconscious. He was torn between hating the woman and still caring deeply about her. He knew it was foolish, and borderline childish. Yet at the same time, for every negative connotation he could apply to Mei's name, he could also think of a positive one. Whether it be manipulative? Or beautiful. A liar? Or his only teacher. The first person that he could safely say was truly always there for him when he needed them more? Or the fact that she was the only person to ever fill that roll for him in the first place.

As Much as Naruto knew he would like to write off the woman who had been using him for her own needs... he knew that she filled a void in his life, and it was something that he was still clinging to till this day.

However she wasn't all... Rin was a whole new set of questions. Although initially Naruto knew he felt that she was more importantly a whole new set of problems. She would freely come and go as she pleased, often times showing up, particularly as a barer of bad news.

Naruto scowled at that thought as he shot a glare towards his covered arm. It was quite irritating knowing that to everyone in Konoha, he was the Kyuubi jinchuriki. However if he removed the gauntlet that covered his arm, he would suddenly be known for being the host of the Kyuubi and the Shukaku due to an assortment of tattoos. The later of the tailed beasts being solely Rin's fault. Although... he knew he couldn't be too angry at the prospect. If she hadn't shown up... he would likely be dead.

Naruto sighed as he ran a hand through his hair in the ocean breeze. Naruto knew the more he continued thinking about all of the people in his life. The more he realized that the world was not black and white like he would have enjoyed believing prior to the chunin exams. The world was barely, if ever black and white. It was just a great big mass of gray that he had to constantly decipher.

Although... one woman in particular was really close to shattering the world of gray mentality. Or at least that was what Naruto liked to tell himself when his thoughts drifted towards the Kyuubi. He wished he could convince himself that if there was a darkness in the world, the woman trapped in his gut was it. However that would then cause him to idly wonder whether he was talking about the Kyuubi... or his mother. A though that he didn't particularly wish to analyze.

The thought alone of the most feared demon in all of the elemental nations... a victim? Naruto scowled. He was a victim the majority of his life, and only recently had things started to turn around for him. He could remember vividly at how he subconsciously blame Kyuubi for his problems. Whether they be lack of friends, lack of family, or just a general lack of knowledge of how the world worked. Yet now... knowing that the key reason the Kyuubi was stuck in his stomach was through the actions of his mother and father. Both of whom decided to die and leave him with absolutely nothing, no pictures, no home, no nothing...

Naruto clenched his fists on the barriers of the ship. The only thing that gave him the slightest peace of mind was the sight of Sasuke, Sakura, and more specifically Hanabi at another end of the ship huddled up in the corner of the deck resting by some crates.

She thus far had been the only stable thing in his life. Sure she came with her problems, and personal insecurities. At times he knew she could most definitely be frustrating. However everyone has their moments. He knew he certainly used to have his.

Although that was the full extent of how he felt on the matter, she was just someone he cared about, someone constant in his life. He didn't have the best track record for holding people he genuinely cared about close to him.

Although as Naruto found himself thinking the more the ride went on. The more he was continually brought back to the most recent encounter he had in his life that he could only hope would not have too profound of an effect shaping him as an individual.

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_"Zabuza was a good man..." was the sound that broke the peaceful silence Naruto formerly had as he laid in his sleep. Sharing a bed with a woman was no longer an action that bothered him after the numerous recent times with Hanabi. However it didn't mean he was a fan of being woken from his sleep. Not to mention the fact that he still wasn't completely sure the woman was friend or foe._

_Naruto peered to his side with a groan only to catch sight of the woman sitting up next to him in the bed. Naruto waited a few moments to see where exactly the woman was going with what she was saying_. _Under other conditions, Naruto was pretty sure he wouldn't care and would just go to sleep. However the woman's current state once again threw him for a loop. It was as if whenever Zabuza was involved with her thoughts, she was a different person. Not that her personality changed or that she acted notably different. It was just Naruto could tell... she was more... fragile._

_Miyuki's eyes held the faintest signs of teardrops in them. Truth be told, they seemed drastically out of place on her face seeing as how she would occasionally take a breath in through her mouth showing her razor sharp teeth. Naruto realized that her nose must have been stuffed up, and she had likely been crying earlier. However he wasn't going to be one to judge, he would likely cry too if he lost Sakura, Sasuke, Hanabi, or Mei..._

_Naruto winced at the final name he had subconsciously added to his list. No that was wrong. He wouldn't shed a tear for that woman._

_"He was driven... headstrong... but most of all the man I knew had courage. I knew he was a good man, deep down. He didn't believe me, he would tell his comrades that he was no good. However I knew it was all a lie... I still remember to this day what he said to me when he was leaving the village. Something a friend had told him. Naruto do you know what that was?" Miyuki was just letting words flow out, mixing occasionally with a few flowing tears._

_Naruto knew he shouldn't be looking at the situation so critically and logically but part of him couldn't help it. Although the sight alone was quick to tighten his gut as he was able to piece together what exactly was transpiring before him. A grown shinobi was crying. Naruto knew that he shouldn't have been too surprised, but the sight alone was a reminder of something that he knew many shinobi out in the world likely forget._

_Ninjas are humans as well._

_Naruto shook his head, no longer that sleepy and motioned for the woman to continue._

_"He told me about an encounter he had with a friend of his that was now retired shinobi. The friend told Zabuza such a simple concept, a simple idea that sparked Zabuza onto a path of overthrowing the Fourth Mizukage, who was a tyrant. The man said, 'Those who turn their backs on their comrades are sure to die a horrible death.' Zabuza told me how he at the time didn't care about that possibility. That he felt due to his upbringing in the Mist, and his graduation exam that he was already branded a terrible man, before he even became a shinobi."_

_Miyuki took a deep breath from her speech and wiped her eyes._

_"Zabuza had taken to quoting a former member of our squad, Hoshikage Kisame... a ruthless killer. He was a brute of a man, and he had no sense of comrades and teamwor-"_

_Naruto was surprised at the mention of the swordsman, but Naruto knew he probably surprised her more when he revealed, "We have met before... Continue..." Naruto finished a bit dryly._

_Miyuki got over her surprise after a few moments. "Kisame used to always tell us, the swordsman that 'Sharks start out as eggs, but incubate and hatch in the womb. Sometimes the number of pups is less than the numbers that were fertilized. Do you know why? Cannibalism. The pups start eating each other within the womb the moment they hatch. They start killing their siblings the moment they enter the world, viewing everything they see as nothing but prey. We, the swordsmen, are the sharks that survived."_

_Miyuki pursed her lips, "And yet Zabuza told me when he had revealed this information to the friend of his, his friend merely responded by saying 'No, I at one point believed such a thing similar to you... but the more days that pass, the more I think about a lesson I learned from someone not too long ago. We are humans, not fish. We don't know what kind of people we truly are until the moment before our deaths. As death comes to embrace you, you will realize what you are. That's what death is, don't you think?'_

_Naruto pursed his lips as he let the woman's story sink in._

_"So when Zabuza told me the night he was leaving the village that he was a terrible person, after trying to assassinate the Mizukage, I knew he was wrong. He was the hero our country needed, but never had. He had gone through his life as a shinobi fighting for what he believed in, and standing up against a tyrant when no one else would. He even refused to slash his headband when he had to flee The Hidden Mist, because he believed he was doing the right thing for his country. Finding out he died was devastating... and yet... finding out he died still fighting for what he believed in so he could try and leave behind a brighter and better future..." Miyuki could no longer even form her sentences coherently. Naruto could see in her eyes all of the memories she was thinking about as she just gazed down to her hands, biting her inner lip._

_Naruto sighed as he gently pat the woman's leg before laying himself back down completely. He couldn't say he knew Zabuza well. However what Naruto did know was that in 'The Demon of the Hidden Mist's' last moments? He had proven that he wasn't nearly as bad as what people made him out to be. After all..._

_He was only human._

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Naruto snarled at his final thought, Zabuza was only human. However... if he ever found himself in a situation similar... he was more demon than any other human being in the world right now. Or at least he knew he would be extremely hard pressed to find someone more so.

Naruto didn't know whether it was a gift from Kami or a curse from the Shinigami that brought him from his thoughts, the only thing he did know was this ship ride was suddenly going to take a turn for the worst.

"Sanbi!" came the loud drawn out cry of a male fisherman as he scrambled backwards pointing out across the water that was suddenly raising up at a rapid rate.

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**Hours later**

"Please run this by me again, how this happened, and who I need to kill for their foolish! Idiotic! Pathetic! Mistake!" came the commanding voice of an auburn haired female as she briskly made her way down to the docks closest to the Hidden Mist Village. She was flanked by many, some dressed in robes indicating their higher status in the village. Likely those of the council. Others were your average group from genin to jounin. Then there were the more important shinobi, such as a tall man with an eye patch, or a younger boy with a large sword on his back. The last group of shinobi were a small group, no more then four masked shinobi whom the female was currently addressing.

"Mizukage-sama... we are currently looking into the issue. We have no ide-" came a strained and nervous voice from behind the mask of the shinobi closest to the woman.

Mei halted her stride abruptly and turned on the now cowering shinobi, "You... have no idea? How hard is your job?" she said firmly as her eyes burrowed into the masked shinobi. Although when the mask shinobi appeared to not be willing to answered the question that posed to be quite the double edged sword, Mei certainly took no hesitation in grabbing the masked shinobi and fiercely throwing them towards a nearby tree.

"Ao, find me someone competent... now! I want to know how Sanbi escaped it's cage, and I want to know now. I also want to know why the hell it has been out of it's cage for hours! And I am just finding out about it now!" she barked at everyone in the near by area as Ao took his immediate leave.

Mei once again continued her stride down a dirt path towards to docks, "Now someone tell me where the hell my husband is during all of this mess. Kami knows he has caused enough problems while I left the village for a short time already." Mei said distastefully as she practically spat out the title of husband.

"Mizukage-sama, We the council have reason to believe that your husband may already be down by the docks." came a soft voice from one of the several council members following behind Mei as they made their way to the port.

Mei didn't show any emotion externally at the news, but internally she was seething at the prospect. Although she refused to let her reasons why be shown to the general public and her shinobi. "Chojuro, go to the hospital and gather a personal team of medics aside from the ones that have already been sent for. Tell them that they are to report to the port immediately, and if they are not here within minutes I will be giving them d-rank missions for days."

Mei increased her pace intending to reach the docks as soon as possible, so she called behind her before she took off, "I will be going on ahead, keep up if you can. However I expect to see all of you there shortly." she finished firmly before taking her first leap into the air that prompted her shinobi version of a sprint.

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Mei's eyes could only widen as she took her final jump down to the docks below. A crowd of people had gathered from all over to see the ship that had come into port... or at least the remains of it. Saying the ship was ruined would be putting it nicely.

The ship formerly used to carry passengers from the main land to the mist was now just a shadow of it's former self. All of the sails that were formerly on the ship had since been broken off by what could only appear to be a ridiculous amount of force. The wood of each mast was heavily splintered, as if a giant moved up to it and personally decided to just pull it down to break it in half. The front of the ship could barely be called that anymore. It was full of jagged holes that that pierced directly through the ship. Almost as if someone decided to stick a large bristled comb straight through the front of the ship, shaking it around, and then roughly withdrawing. It was not a pleasant sight. Finally, the ship in it's current state could pass easier for a giant sea creature then an actual ship itself. Hundreds of two foot long razor sharp serrated scales had either pierced through, or were stuck in sides of the ship.

Mei examined the ship more closely as she moved forward and knew that if she didn't have the stomach of a seasoned shinobi, she would be losing the contents of it like many civilians whom gathered around. The deck was soaked with all sorts of different things. Water, kelp, mud... and the more troublesome things to witness such as blood, flesh, and human waste. Mei knew that the ferry was a popular means of transportation for fisherman. However she highly doubted that the families they left at home earlier that morning realized that the next time they would be hearing about their husband, they would be hearing about how his stomach was slit open by a serrated scale before his intestines spilled onto the deck of where he was formerly fishing.

It was a gruesome sight, whether it be a fisherman who had his skull cleanly sliced in half, and part of his brain was slowly but surely started to slide off the slightly off balance ship, little bits and pieces falling into the water. Or perhaps the fisherman that must have made an attempt to dodge a scale that was coming for him, but with the lack of ninja reflexes failed. He was currently dead, laying over the chain railing with his throat split, now only the smallest bits of blood falling from his neck. She could only imagine he had been bleeding out for awhile.

The next sight before her as she made her way towards the entrance of the ship was the first time she had shown the slightest hint of distaste at the sight before her. A young girl, no older than six, was huddled in the corner crying into her father's lap. Apparently the father had thought he and his daughter would be safe if he could just cradle his daughter below the deck. In fact it had worked... partially... his daughter survived. However he had fallen victim to one of the few scales that pierced through the walls of the ship, and with his head up against the wall... it left the bare back of his neck completely open for the killing.

Mei made her way onto the deck, carefully stepping over puddles of blood, and shaking fisherman still in shock over the whole ordeal he had just witnessed.

Once on the deck she knew that if she hadn't already mentally prepared herself, she likely would have had bile rise up her throat. The stench was horrible, but on top of the stench, the sight of blood and guts splatters across the deck. If she wasn't trained for these things, she knew that she probably would have been seeing even more terrible things that weren't even there. Like the blow open chest of a man leaning against the ruined remains of the mast? She probably would have had a panic attack thinking that his heart was still beating or something just utterly ridiculous upon coming on this scene. It perhaps was a good thing that even though some civilians wanted to help with the people on board the ferry, they were not being allowed. She doubted that even some of her newer shinobi could handle this sight.

Although while all of the sights before her she could mentally prepare for. No amount of mental preparation would of helped as she encountered the sight before her.

A blonde, covered in blood, glaring directly at her.

XXXXXX

XXXXXX

Naruto couldn't hold back the sudden scowl that appeared on his face the moment he caught sight of the woman arrive on the deck mere moments ago. Her face alone merely added to the physical and emotional turmoil he was going through currently. Although he had long since wanted to confront the woman, he knew he had far more important things to deal with right now, such as his young teammate laying down before him.

"What the hell do you mean you can't heal them ?" Naruto snapped towards one of the many medics that arrived on the ship earlier.

The medic was young, and shaking at the sights around him. Although that didn't stop Naruto's verbal assault. "My team risked our fucking lives to bring this 'Blacksmith' back to the village, which is later found out to be a member of the seven swordsman. Now I have a teammate that looks like someone practiced skinning animals on his arm. I have a teammate who is completely unconscious and you can't even tell me what the hell is wrong with her. Then finally you keep scaring my only teammate that didn't get injured on this ridiculous mission requested by your village!" Naruto yelled at the male medic, resisting the boiling urge to hit the man.

Sasuke had a clean deep gash down his right arm. Hanabi on the other hand was laying down right before Naruto completely unresponsive. The only signs of life she was giving was that she was breathing. However any outsider would have to wonder how the young Hyuuga appeared as if she ran through a burning building.

The only one besides Naruto who looked, while exhausted, relatively normal was Miyuki. Although that was to be expected of a shinobi village's elite warriors. The only sign that she had received any damage in combat was the several tears in her clothing as well as a giant blood spatter across the chest.

"It has been awhile Naruto-kun." Mei called out softly as she approached the group, with several medics following quickly behind her.

"Mizukage-sama! There is something I believe you should kn-" Miyuki didn't get to make a hasty comment as Naruto spoke over her.

"Not long enough." he said bitterly as he refused to look the female leader in the eye, instead far more focused on the young Hyuuga before him. The moment Naruto spoke, the tension in the surrounding area rose tenfold. One would have thought time had stopped if it weren't for the fact that one of the female medics that had flanked Mei on her approach came to relieve the male attempting to heal Sasuke.

Mei couldn't hold back a frown that crept onto her face at Naruto's acknowledgment of her presence. Sure she knew that she shouldn't be expecting him to be the same boy that would have willingly run into her arms at the snap of a finger. However she didn't expect pure genuine hostility. She straightened herself and strode over to the group, all the while taking a parting glance towards Miyuki whom appeared to be incredibly tense. Whether it be in her own presence, or Naruto's... she did not know.

"Is that any way to speak to your sensei?" Mei said calmly in response, trying her best to control the situation.

Naruto clenched his fists momentarily at that mention. The mere thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. His sensei... Oh he knew he would have loved to be able to turn to her and yell 'You aren't my sensei because ... is...' The problem was every time he attempted to draw a name from a hat that he could throw back at Mei, claiming the woman wasn't his true sensei. All he could do was draw blanks. By all intents and purposes, she was his true sensei.

Naruto distracted himself by barking out, "Is it just me or can the Mist not bring a single fucking medic to look at Hanabi-chan?"

Mei inwardly smirked, she knew she hit a soft spot if the boy had to change the subject at the mere mention of the sensei topic. "Hanabi-chan? Making more friends now Naruto-kun?"

Naruto scowled but wasn't about to give her the pleasure of seeing him blow up at her. Calmly he turned towards the Mizukage, "Kindly either help, or go find someone who can help so you aren't being completely unproductive." Naruto gave himself an internal cheer as he fought up the strength to shoot back retort to the woman.

The atmosphere in the immediate area instantly dropped several degrees. Everyone on the deck had heard Naruto's comment towards the Mizukage. While Naruto himself wasn't particularly familiar with the woman's reputation. Her shinobi were half expecting part of Naruto's face to be melted off in moments, if not all of his face.

However surprisingly to most Mei just gave a predatory grin, and was quick to respond. "You know what Naruto?" she said as she moved around Hanabi, which was formerly the only thing in between Mei and Naruto. "You are absolutely right." she said in a soft whisper which only served to make Naruto reminiscence about the times she would run a hand through his hair and whisper in his ear. Mei reached out her hand and placed it on Naruto's shoulder, like a lover trying to wordlessly give their support to their significant other. Although Naruto couldn't help but cringe and attempt to shake the hand off his shoulder. The action would perhaps feel right with anyone... before you found out they could be one of the most manipulative people on the planet.

"I should be helping you Naruto-kun, not getting in the way. Thank you so much for making me come to my senses. You and your team can stay at my mansion in the Village while you all recover. Medics please take this group to my compound." Mei said with a silky voice that was quick to change into a commanding one the further she got into the statement.

Naruto's eyes could only widen at that, it was the last thing that he wanted. "No!" he said quickly as he shoved past Mei and scooped Hanabi up into his arms before quickly turning around only to see a barely awake Sasuke being carried off into the distance alongside Sakura. Naruto grit his teeth and pulled Hanabi closer to his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Although the action finally made Mei catch complete notice of something that was quite off with Naruto.

Naruto's arm that was typically covered by a gauntlet, with slightly lighter complexion than the rest of his body was open for the world to see. The gauntlet must have been destroyed when the ship was under attack. So all Mei could do was raise an eyebrow and say, "I never took you for the tattoo person Naruto... and even so those don't even look like normal tattoos..." She reached out with a hand to touch his arm.

Naruto grit his teeth at the woman who he was now thoroughly frustrated with, "Don't fucking touch me." he snapped at her. However the moment he made his comment, and Mei's hand nearly came in contact with Naruto's arm. Sand burst forth from the array of tattoos on his arm, forming a smaller face of one tailed demon formed from the sand and his face contorted in a ghastly roar. While no sound was made besides the near silent sound of shifting sand. It was more than enough to make Mei withdraw her hand in surprise. "Just take me to where your medics took Sasuke and Sakura without my damn permission." Naruto said sourly as his eyes burrowed into the Mizukage, not caring what she had just witnessed from his arm.

Mei opened her mouth for a second as she gave a longing look at Naruto's arm before pursing her lips. She merely nodded her head at the blonde before her, "Alright... come on." she said as she was quick to leap off the side of the ship, Miyuki following shortly behind, followed by an very unhappy Naruto.

XXXXXX

XXXXXX

Naruto sighed as he exited the bathroom connected to his room. He was completely and utterly exhausted, physically and emotionally. He had just spent the past two hours by Hanabi's side only for the doctors to finally get a full analysis on her to realize that she just solely had a severe case of chakra exhaustion. That and minor burns. Naruto pursed his lips at that thought, but did his best to ignore the events that had transpired earlier that day. He knew he couldn't change the past, so there was no point dwelling on it at this particular time.

Although when entering the bedroom he had been specifically assigned, he irritation could only increase as he spotted the woman sitting down on the bed. "What are you doing in my room..." Naruto asked dryly, already angry with the woman for the whole trip and all of the chaos that had been happening recently. He just felt he didn't need to express something that was blatantly obvious.

Mei to her credit was unfazed by the boy and merely replied, "Technically since I own this entire mansion... all of these rooms..." she left the statement hanging open as if she was talking to a child. Any moron could gather what she was aiming for with her statement.

"Oh I'm sorry Mei. Why are you in the room you so humbly assigned to me after abducting my injured team members?" Naruto asked with a tad bit of venom in his voice.

Mei gave a warm laugh, an action that much to Naruto's displeasure awoken old wounds he had rather not deal with. "Well now didn't you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? And what is wrong Naruto-kun? You wont call me Mei-chan anymore?" she said quietly in the silent room using a seductive whisper.

Naruto pursed his lips, but continued to repeat in his head that he wouldn't fall into whatever type of trap she was planting for him to fall into. '_Never again...'_ he thought to himself as he clenched his teeth.

At Naruto's silence Mei merely shrugged her shoulders, "Well as for why I am here Naruto-kun... This is my room, and you will be sharing with me for the duration of your stay." Naruto instantly became tense at the prospect, which only prompted Mei to continue. "Don't look so shocked, it wont be that bad. After all I hear you share a bed with Hanabi-chan all the time. Perhaps it is that you are already spoken for? Hmmm... Naruto-kun?"

Naruto gave a huff of frustration as he moved to the other side of the bed, away from Mei as he began to lay his few assortments of gear along the dresser by the bed. "I will sleep on the floor, and I believe you have had enough fun using me as a pawn for your amusement. You probably shouldn't read too much into what you may think you know about me." Mei couldn't help but flinch at Naruto's words. Sure they hurt. In the shinobi world the truth almost always hurt. However the fact that he had said it so calm, like he was talking about the weather. It was as if it was merely a shell of a person saying the statement.

Although sensitivity was an emotion Mei made sure to never showcase to everyone. Growing up in the middle of a war, you don't have time to cry and talk about one's feelings. "Please." she said with a roll of the eyes. "You know it was never like that. I never lied to you. I may have neglected some information, and I may have let you come to the wrong conclusions Naruto-kun. However I have never lied to you." she said with conviction as she stared at the boy whom had since sat down with his back towards the woman on the other side of the bed.

Naruto merely snorted at the notion, "Because that is so much better right?" he took a long pause as he gave a deep exhale. "I think you should find me another room Mei, after all I wouldn't want your _husband_ to get mad." Naruto spat out the word husband as if he had bitten into a piece of rotten food.

Mei's breath caught in her throat at that. She knew that back when she was training Naruto she had been making her feelings and intentions blatantly obvious. She didn't want to be just his sensei. She didn't want to become some mother figure to him. She had no intention of becoming the sister he never had. The fact of the matter was, you don't kiss anyone on the lips unless they are your lovers. Sure she may have been right in that she didn't lie to the boy with words. However she also knew that actions often spoke far louder than words.

She did her best to change the subject, "Don't sit here and try to tell me you are taking a moral high road Naruto. Like what I did to you was the worst thing in the world." she said sternly as she lifted her legs onto the bed so she wasn't turning her back fully to glare at the young shinobi.

The only sign of recognition of her statement that Naruto gave was a merely huff of amusement, still refusing to even look at the Mizukage sitting on the same bed as him.

"We are ninja, but more importantly I am a Kage. A leader Naruto. I need to do what I can to protect my people. You were a tool to me at first when I had just met you. I wont lie. However eventually I grew to truly care about you. However I need to be looking out for the best interests for my people as a whole, despite my personal feelings over a certain individual. I would expect someone who used to say that their dream was to be Hokage would understand that... And beyond all of that, I was speaking the truth when I said you could live with me, and be loved here." she said with a sigh as she ran a hand through her hair.

Naruto now openly laughed, an oddity in contrast to the heavy tension in the room. Naruto turned to his only sensei with a false smile, "Really, you were just going to kiss me and then reveal you have a husband and expect me to want to live here with you?"

Mei was quick to snap back, "Really? Are you more mad about the fact that you think I lied to you, or the fact that I happen to have a husband?"

Naruto fell silent. He didn't know the answer to that especially with how she had been wording things as of late. She technically never lied. So... was he just mad she had a husband? "Perhaps I am just mad at the fact that you led me on throughout our entire relationship between each other. That you made me believe that something was actually there that wasn't. I knew shinobi used deception as one of their greatest tools, and perhaps I was just ignorant to think that the one person I that ever truly gave a damn about me was merely using me for their own gains?"

Mei at this point had no more self restraint in regards to the subject, "Oh really Naruto? Like you are doing to that cute little Hanabi-chan right now?" Mei asked with a sneer.

Naruto froze solid at that mention, he nearly completely missed that Mei had at this point opted to swing herself over to his side of the bed next to him. Perhaps so she could whisper it in his ear as she...

Mei could only internally grin to herself at the look on the boy's face. She hated hurting Naruto, however she also realized that sometimes to make a point, you have to hurt those close to you. "Oh don't tell me you don't see it?" she said in barely a whisper as she wrapped an arm around the boy and began to run a hand through his hair, an action that only served to bring a flood of past emotions to the surface. "Letting the poor girl come to you in your time of need. Always being the one that she relies on now. Always there for her whenever she needs you. I heard about that storm, how you let her into your tent... just so she could fall asleep in your arms. Here you have her assisting you in learning taijutsu and I'm sure you realize how useful the Byakugan can be..."

She let the train of thoughts drift in the air for a few moments to let them sink in with Naruto before she continued, "You treat me like I am a horrible person Naruto... however you sit here and refuse to acknowledge that you are doing the exact same thing as me. You are the same as me. I am sure you have heard you teach how you were taught Naruto... I wont be surprised if soon enough that poor girl is running around with no one heartbro-"

"Your wrong!" Naruto said firmly as he turned to the woman beside him with a piercing gaze. "We are different. The difference between us is that I actually care, I don't ever plan to become the pillar of strength in Hanabi's life, and then suddenly leave because it is in my best interest. I don't care just about myself..." Naruto took a pause before throwing in a final insult to the conversation, "You Narcissistic bitch."

Mei froze as Naruto got up and made his way to the door. Yes the truth indeed does hurt. However she wasn't going to back down, and take everything laying down. "Naruto... you can throw a rock, and hide your hand. You can work in the dark against your fellow man. However sure as Kami made black and white? Whats done in the dark will be brought to the light..."

Naruto paused before reaching for the doorknob as he gave a laugh before turning to Mei with an amused eyebrow. Although that look was quickly wiped off his face as Mei continued.

"We hurt those closest to us Naruto. I promise you we will be the same there. I heard... what happened to Hanabi..." Mei said slowly in barely a whisper, just loud enough so Naruto could hear. "I heard how she was readily willing to die for you... that is how much she cares. I remember when you used to care that much about me. I am sure you felt like I was the only person in your world? I can't wait to tell you I told you so when she eventually dies trying to save you again..." Mei was expecting for several moments of silence to follow, but in no way was she expecting the following actions.

Naruto's eyes completely began to glow blood red. There was no sign of his pupils, let alone his iris'. Even the whites of his eyes began to glow red as a red mist began to seep out of his eyes similar to Kyuubi's chakra. Nothing prepared Mei for what happened next.

Right in the palm of Naruto's hand, a storm of red swirling chakra appeared, and then instantly right before Mei a giant claw of red chakra burst forth from evidently nowhere slamming into her full force. Her body was instantly pinned to the bed, with her arms and head all weaved between different fingers of the claw.

Naruto scowled and walked up to the edge of the bed and leaned against the tall bed post next to Mei's pinned form. "You are beyond lucky that I cannot bring myself to actually want to hurt you... Allow me to tell you what really happened, and why Hanabi's life was in danger in the first place..."

XXXXXX

XXXXXX

_**Hours earlier, on the ship.**_

___"Sanbi!"_

_The giant three tailed turtle wasted no time in emerging from ocean with unstoppable force. The sheer size of the beast rising from the ocean beside the ship could cause tidal waves. The ship was rocking heavily as there were scream and cries of fear from those on the deck as they scrambled to get below the deck. Although no one was safe from the beast quick, brutal, and relentless attack._

_Sanbi rose one tail high into the air, and anyone with trained eyes would have been able to see..._

_"It's tail!" came the startled cry of the female Hyuuga whom was shaking from the sheer presence of the beast. Naruto however couldn't help but admire her. At least she was responsive when encountering the giant tailed beast. He froze up when he was opposed by a couple chunin._

_Sasuke served to finish the statement, already locked into a heightened level of focus nearly all shinobi fall into when in combat. "The very ends of his tail are full of hundreds of scales, all ranging from a foot to two feet!" Sasuke said quickly._

_Although Miyuki had wasted no time in arming herself and barking out, "Be careful of that, he is a mindless beast that will fight until he drops. He can launch serrated scales from that tail you are speaking of as well as h-"_

_Sanbi allowed their conversation to continue no further as a heavy barrage of scales ripped across the ship deck. The served no trouble for dodging when it came to experienced ninja seeing as how the scale were being launched at speeds slightly slower than a kunai from a great distance. However to your average fisherman..._

_Sakura and Hanabi both appeared as if they were about to lose the contents of their stomach upon the sight of a man being sliced cleanly open at the stomach. The worst part about the whole ordeal was the few moments he was able to scream in pain as his insides slowly fell out before he was either dead or in far too much shock to do anything more than just lay there._

_Naruto cursed to himself, it was all uphill from that point. Barrage after barrage of scales continued to fly at the deck, where they were forced to make the conscious decision to dodge knowing the scales would like decapitate a panicking civilian behind them. There was little the team of shinobi could do from their current distance. The beast was at least a good fifty to seventy-five feet away from the ship. For a typical encounter for shinobi it was nothing. Any decent shinobi could close that gap within moments, all the while throwing kunai and shurikan as a form of cover fire._

_However this was a tailed beast, and as much as Naruto wanted to rationalize battle strategies and hope the could succeed. He knew this wasn't his first encounter with a tailed beast either. Shukaku had toyed with him like a cat playing with a mouse before eating it. In contrast to the power of a tailed beast, he knew a squad of genin were mere insects in comparison._

_Naruto willed himself to rush quickly to the left near the path of an oncoming scale that was sailing flat. It would have surely hit the father doing his best to usher his young daughter below the deck of the ship. Naruto was quick to come beside the scale's flight path, and with the reflexes that only a ninja could possess, he slammed his fist down on the scale as it sailed through the air. The scale's trajectory instantly change and speared itself into the deck, now just sticking up as a mere obstacle on the battlefield. While sometimes obstacles on the battlefield were a bad thing. Naruto knew that he would gladly add such a trivial obstacle to the battlefield in favor of saving a person's life._

_Although the bad part about this action was it launched a series of unfortunate events. Often times people will try and save someone, because they feel that it is the right thing to do. However the action of them playing the hero and saving a life will put the lives of many in danger. Naruto in his rush to deflect the scale had long since missed that Sanbi had turned one of his multiple tails flat, and cleaving for the ship. By the time Naruto was able to even realize what was going on... danger was already upon him._

_"Naruto look out!" came a loud cry of Hanabi who was located alongside Sasuke, Sakura and Miyuki at the front of the ship. If only Naruto had noticed what they had sooner._

_The giant massive tail cleaved across the ship like an unstoppable force. It slammed like a train into the wooden sails, before falling lower to the deck and slamming into Naruto blasting him nearly off the ship if he hadn't hit the solid railing near the front of the ship._

_To say that Naruto's impact was rough would be an understatement. As the sail Sanbi's tail cleaved through was launched through the air into the water, Naruto was busy coughing up a glob of blood. The wood behind him had caved outward upon his impact, splintering on the opposite side of the rail._

_Naruto with blurry vision could barely make out the expressions on his teams faces as they took a moment to look at Naruto. It was a complete mix of fear, shock, regret, and anger. Naruto could vaguely hear the voice of Sakura past the ringing in his ears._

_"What are we going to do? We wont last much longer if this keeps up!" she cried out in a panicked voice as she crouched down low to do her best to avoid any possible incoming projectiles._

_There were a good few tense seconds where no one spoke a word, and they were just able to hear the sound of repeating thuds slamming into the sides and the deck of the ship. They could hear the screams of the people now below the deck, obviously they were not as safe as they had originally thought down there._

_The female swordswoman crouched down with her spear before her with pursed lips, "This I was most definitely not prepared for..." she said slowly. She was ignoring the few glares being shot her way from the team around her. It was blatantly obvious that was woman wasn't some weak little female blacksmith that needed guarding. However there was no time at the present moment to cause a fight and complain about lying about mission perimeters. "I have only one plan as to how to get the Sanbi off our backs, before the ship is completely destroyed. However I am going to need all of you to buy me some time."_

_Everyone stopped paying attention to the question for a moment as they had to dodge out of the way of another sail flying off, tumbling across the ship. It was only by the grace of Kami that the large skewer didn't pierce straight through the ship as it tumbled._

_Sasuke was the calmest out of the shinobi on team seven considering Naruto was still gathering his bearings. "How much time would you need?" Sasuke asked begrudingly as he refused to make eye contact with the female swordswoman, far more interested in looking into the distance with his sharingan in order to dodge any incoming attacks. It was obvious that even though this was Hanabi's first mission, and more than likely her first battle, she was thinking along the same lines as Sasuke as she had her byakugan activated._

_"Just go..." Naruto ground out as he pushed himself off of the floor, an action which caused all eyes to draw to him. Naruto shook his head as he gritted his teeth in pain and worked over his shoulder with his free arm. "It isn't like we have many options after all."_

_Miyuki could only give a nod, and she slung her spear back onto her back, "Let me barrow one more person to make my plan faster."_

_Naruto without hesitation said, "Take Sakura with you." Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the look her got on his decision. Perhaps it was because this was Hanabi's first mission, or the fact that Sakura had in general more combat experience than Hanabi. However Naruto didn't care. Although it didn't stop Sakura from voicing her opinion._

_"What?" she asked in surprise, sounding almost put out with the decision. "Why do I have to go, I have been..." Sakura knew she had so many ways to finish that sentence, but the one that kept popping into her head... 'I have been waiting for a chance to prove to my team that I have improved...'_

_"Go Sakura..." came the cold comment from Sasuke, whom didn't even bother to look at his pink haired teammate._

_Sakura pursed her lips as she looked between the members of her team, her eyes lingering on Hanabi a few seconds longer then the others before she relented with a sigh. She turned to Miyuki and gave a nod to confirm that there was no confusion amongst the orders that were currently given out. However as Sakura and Miyuki both quickly dashed off and made their ways below the deck, the threat was once again the thing at the front of everyone's mind._

_The giant turtle gave a blood curdling roar that echoed throughout the area. So powerful that it even produced a shockwave that was capable of pushing the shinobi back as it rocked the ship._

_The young shinobi paled as the heard the voice of the beast before him, and Sasuke voiced the thoughts of the entire team. "So do we even have a plan?"_

_Silence reigned..._

_XXXXXX_

_XXXXXX_

_"Sakura I need you to grab that rope over there on that wall." Miyuki commanded as the briskly made their way into the cargo hold. "Stay alert of any scales that may end up piercing through the walls, I don't want to have to leave your dead or injured body in this room just because I have more important things to deal with." she woman said as she grabbed her spear, and swung it like a baseball bat allowing the entire spear to smash into the wooden crate before her._

_The crate revealed a collection of wooden logs, some cut differently than others. Although in truth it wasn't the cut of the wood that mattered, it was what was on them._

_"Do you see this Sakura?" the shark toothed woman asked quickly as she gestured to a specific design that was located on most of the logs. Upon the pink haired shinobi's nod of recognition, the woman continued. "Good, these seals are weight seals. They allow you to increase the weight of a certain object. Essentially you think in your head if you want the item to be heavier or lighter, and then you how many times heavier you want it. Whether you want it twice as heavy, or fifty times as heavy, you just need to give it a thought. Although of course the heavier or lighter you want an item, the more chakra it will take. Luckily... these seals are designed for most civilian employed cargo companies, so these seals aren't very chakra intensive."_

_Miyuki began to yank several pieces of wood out of the crate and began to stack them cleanly beside Sakura. "I need you to wrap that rope around these logs, and then after that I need you to secure it with ninja wire." She said quickly as she continued to pull out piece after piece of wood._

_Sakura stayed silent for a moment, following orders as they were pressed for time. However eventually she couldn't stop herself from asking, "What do you exactly plan to do with this?"_

_Her answer was cut off by a loud cry from the deck._

_XXXXXX_

_XXXXXX_

_How could everything go downhill in such a short amount of time?_

_"Sasuke!"_

_It was truly a series of unfortunate events that all started with a terrible... or otherwise fantastic attack from the giant turtle. The attack completely and utterly missed all of the three shinobi that had been doing their best up until this point to throw whatever they could at the beast. Whether that be something as simple as explosive notes, to a combination attack that consisted of a water dragon being used as a current for the chidori._

_However as it missed it's giant tail swipe across the ship, it merely nicked a tall wooden support beam from above. Now the three ninja were able to write off the attack moments after it happened. After all it appeared that no damage had been done. The problem was that in battle a shinobi must always pay attention to their surroundings. A thought the three fresh shinobi had pushed to the back of their minds in favor of the key single and only thought running through their head right now was just one simple word._

_Survival._

_So when Naruto had told Hanabi to see as far as she could into the distance in order to spot an incoming attack from under the water by one of the turtles several tails. It simply left her unaware of the giant wooden pillar that had been nicked mere moments before._

_The pillar had come falling down, and there was no way either of the two teammates could warn the girl before she was crushed. This of course didn't matter for a second to Sasuke. He had his own goals, and he wasn't about to risk his life for some random girl who he just met if it meant that he wasn't going to be able to kill a certain someone in the long run._

_Naruto however... well he actually cared for the girl. So when he saw her in even the slightest bit of danger. Even if there was the slightest chance that she would react and be able to move out of the way... there was always a chance she wouldn't. That wasn't a risk he was willing to take. Although in all honesty, there wasn't much he could do against a giant falling wooden pillar. Except... try..._

_So he did. Naruto rushed forward as fast as he can, a speed which was more then enough to push Hanabi down and to try and shield the girl from the falling terrain. Although to his surprise his gauntlet encased arm quite nearly acted on it's own as it quickly extended. The metal around the gauntlet began to grow cracks as the metal appeared it would nearly shatter. A great mix of orange molten light and grains of sand seeped out of the cracks as Naruto found his arm to be more than strong enough to hold up the weight of the pillar, even if it was killing his legs._

_The claws of his gauntlet wretched backwards as if they were possessed. His hand began to grow bigger, and Naruto could only tense as he could feel the few straps under the metal begin to break as his arm grew larger and his single hand grew bigger and far heavier. Soon enough Naruto had an arm that literally had his gauntlet bursting at the seams as it tried to contain whatever was trying to burst forth from underneath the gauntlet. Naruto could only narrow his eyes further as red wisps of chakra began to seep out of the cracks like a bleeding wound before slowly covering the outside of the gauntlet like a foggy ground before a lake on a cold day._

_Naruto gave a sigh of relief as he was able to stop the pillar from utterly crushing him and Hanabi, at least that crisis was reverted. Although it was a series of unfortunate events for a reason._

_Contrary to popular belief in the civilian world, physical strength is often not measured by the strength of one's arms, but more so from the strength of one's legs. Naruto felt like he had an unbelievably strong arm right now, but at the same time he also felt like he couldn't even get off of his knees. There in lied the problem._

_He was a sitting duck._

_In the shinobi world you are supposed to exploit any advantage you can gain over your opponent in battle. Any weakness your opponent shows in battle should be exploited to the fullest. Whether this be a shinobi's perverse nature? A shinobi's lack of confidence, or overconfidence in their abilities? A flaw such as a shinobi limiting themselves to merely one branch of shinobi arts? All of these are to be exploited. Even monsters know that._

_The Sanbi wasted no time in launching a barrage of scales at Naruto, whom in turn roughly pushed Hanabi out of the line of fire. It became evident at that very moment that a key moment in Naruto's life was going to repeat itself._

_Naruto grit his teeth painfully as he saw repeat flashes of a masked shinobi flying right at him from a crystal ice mirror. He caught just out of the corner of his vision his same savior from before flying in just at the right time to take a blow for him once again._

_"Sasuke! Don't!" Naruto tried to yell in a hurry. Yet it was too late._

_The Uchiha jumped in between the line of fire with a lightning blade at the ready. It ripped and cut through the incoming scales like butter. In a perfect world where this encounter could have been added to some comic book series about Ninja? Perhaps this heroic attempt at protecting his friend would have ended in a relatively happy ending. Perhaps... they would have gone on to fight and beat this giant beast before them without anyone having to suffer._

_Yet... this was not a perfect world._

_One of the scales Sasuke sliced cleanly open didn't deflect off in a different direction upon impact. Instead Sasuke only served to make a sharped edge for the now white hot scale as it cut straight up Sasuke's arm like a hot knife through butter. Pain would probably be an understatement as to what Sasuke was currently feeling right now._

_Naruto got another flash of deja vu as he pictured Sasuke on the ground looking lifeless with tons of senbon sticking out of his body. No... he wasn't going to watch that happen to his teammate._

_Never again._

_Naruto didn't even register the shocked cry from the female at his side. He was too busy seeing red._

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_"Naruto!" came the cry of a female that ringed only faintly in Naruto's ears._

_His mind was already far too clouded as soon as the fourth tail had appeared. On the outside... he couldn't hear a thing. Particularly over the sound of his fist taking on the shape of something of a greater size then one of the faces on the Hokage Monument, before proceeding to repeatedly slam the the said fist into Sanbi's face. It was almost comical if the joint killer intent between the two beasts wasn't so damn oppressive._

_He didn't know how long he had been fighting with four tails, to be fair he could barely think straight at all. All he knew was that by all accounts he was winning. Where as he hadn't been hit yet, his small form using the giant three tailed turtle as a jungle gym. The beast Sanbi on the other hand had been taking blow after blow after blow. In fact, Naruto could only hope that the giant crack that he created on the back of the beast's shell would become permanent. So it could always remember this day as the day it attacked the wrong team of shinobi._

_Not even controlling his body, Naruto launched himself back to the ship with a wicked gleam plastered on his face. That was when everything started to turn south. He had been thinking this entire time that he was in control. That he was beating the Sanbi bit by bit. That his mind was in control similar to that one encounter he had with Haku in the past._

_Yet when he landed on the ship and spotted Sasuke and Hanabi mere feet from him, and he suddenly found himself toying in his mind whether or not he should kill them both. He realized that quite evidently he was not in control of his body. So not even a moment later, he fell to his knees with a roar as he fought back._

_But..._

_The action of him getting so absorbed in his internal struggle was the key action that would later render his female friend completely unresponsive._

_Naruto gave a blood curdling scream as it ripped at his face, the voice of the young Hyuuga now crystal clear in his ears as she cried his name. Pain didn't even begin to describe the beginning of what he was feeling. The feeling of melting off every single skin cell on his body as he fought the chakra back down into his body, which was a task in his own right. Trying to cram back four tails of chakra into a cage that already had six tails in it with a maximum capacity of nine?_

_Naruto could only grit his teeth, and yet, through all of the pain his senses all came back at once as Naruto felt a pair of hands get placed on his stomach, or more specifically his seal, and warmth began to suddenly spread from the contact outward through his body._

_Quickly Naruto's vision cleared and he was able to make out the sight of a crying Hanabi with her hands placed over his seal, as burns began to rapidly come across her body, only for his only boiling red chakra to heal the burns in a never ending cycle. She had her hands over his stomach glowing green, and despite the situation he had to wonder where a girl just out of the academy had learned medical techniques. Although at present time, he couldn't care how she learned them, and just that she had them. The pain he was feeling was intense, and he could only thank Kami that Hanabi was there to take part of it away. Although whatever physical pain was being taken away at the moment by the young Hyuuga, he knew would soon be replaced with a heavy mental guilt knowing that she had thrown herself in danger to save him..._

_As the chakra receded from his body completely, all Naruto could do was collapse forward towards Hanabi whom was barely staying up right herself. Naruto could feel the poor girl's tears trickling down his shoulder as she rested her head there, forgetting about the giant turtle in the ocean not far from them._

_"You cry baby... you always cry..." Naruto said in the midst of a small laugh trying his best to lighten the mood despite the grave situation._

_Hanabi let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, despite being severely chakra exhausted. "Idiot... don't ever do that again..." she whispered weakly._

_They both soon fell into unconsciousness beside Sasuke. The last thing they were able to hear was..._

_"Sakura tend to your team, I will take care of the rest!"_

_No one noticed Naruto's tattooed arm glowing faintly red as the red mists of chakra left behind from the earlier battle using Kyuubi's chakra seeped back into his body._

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"So I was right?" Mei asked still surprised from the story she had just heard. However she was more focused on the fact that she very well could have been right all along, and perhaps making Naruto see that.

Naruto tensed for a moment at the thought before shaking his head with a laugh. "Perhaps I did put Hanabi in danger... I put everyone in danger. However then again... I would have never been out at sea if I wasn't given a fake mission from an ever manipulative bi-"

Mei's faint laughter broke his focus and the giant claw that had sprung to life earlier quickly recede. "Keep telling yourself that Naruto-kun." Mei said quietly as she stared up to meet his gaze glaring down at her. "She is just as devoted to you as you were to me... it is only a matter of time." Mei said confidently.

Naruto gave a growl but none the less straightened himself and stood up straight. "You will be disappointed." Naruto said calmly as he prepares to walk out of the room.

Mei gave a huff of amusement at his retreating form under the impression that she won the argument with his non-committal retort, "That you will turn out like me?" Mei asked with a confident smirk.

Naruto gave a laugh and opened the door, but before closing the door replied, "No, that I will be the exact opposite of you, that I will be good."

The door had closed.

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Alright, well this wraps up another chapter. The longest chapter I think I have written yet actually One that came out considerably quicker then the past one. I tried to do a bit of a recap at the start of the chapter so people who have kinda lost their place over the past few months should be able to jog their memory.

I tried to make this chapter a bit more exciting. I don't know how I did on that. I was originally intending to have a segment between Naruto and Kyuubi this chapter, but I felt it would make the chapter too long.

I will say this over and over, as close as Naruto and Hanabi are right now. The pairing in the long run is intended to be Naruto and Mei. I know this chapter will likely throw people for a loop with how fluffy it got at one point.

**Although I am a bit curious it feels like no one reads this story anymore. Was my absence too long?**

Anyways I am also looking for random toss up ideas that anyone may have for the Mist. Originally I was planning to have the visit to the mist relatively long. However now, I am considering keeping it rather short unless I can think of anything mildly interesting there to pass time, and give Naruto a reason to stay there longer.

So feel free to brainstorm up any ideas as to why Naruto and his team should stay there for x amount of time. Currently I am only looking at a month or so, and most of that is time skipped. So if you have any ideas, I am all ears.


	19. Where Even Paper Can Flourish

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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A light whistle disturbed Naruto from his current reading. "It seems that you made it out alright Naruto-kun. Sasuke will recover in a month or so, and Hanabi is once again responsive... Even if she is bedridden... Good job..." Mei said in a condescending tone as she made her way into the room.

Naruto could only roll his eyes in irritation and close the book he had been formerly reading. His encounters with Mei over the past few days had constantly been a dance. It was all to see who could get the leg up on the other. She had given him access to her private library of shinobi techniques on the grounds that he stayed in her room for his entire stay. That and he took time out of his day to just talk to the woman. It... made matters strained to put it lightly.

After all Naruto knew just as much as she did that she was practically bribing him to even acknowledge her. However Naruto just as lamely let her know that he was willing to be bribed for the right price. Although it was either accept her small demands and spend his time learning as many shinobi techniques from the Mist as possible, or lay around all day with his mind straying to his team in recovery. He would have tried to spend time with Sakura, however she even refused to have her own room. She was spending her nights on a consistent basis by Sasuke's bedside as he recovered. To say his team was split down the middle would be an understatement. The only sign that they were in fact a team was the single moment Sasuke willingly put himself in harms way, again, for Naruto.

"Why don't you tell your medics that they did a good job, I didn't do anything." Naruto tried to insist as a way to usher the woman out of the room.

Mei merely gave an amused laugh, "Please, you know I came to talk. However if you are going to play that game. I didn't mean good job, your entire team nearly died. You nearly killed one of your teammates. Good job." The air surround the two suddenly got increasingly thick as Mei sat down in a seat across from Naruto.

Naruto wasn't about to let the woman get under his skin on the matter. They had at least had this conversation three times in the past few days. "You're right. I let my team down. I would go into a description of how betraying or letting your comrades down weighs down heavily on one's heart. However you wouldn't be able to relate as a heart is required for such matters."

Mei could only smirk, and decided to not reply and instead peered at the cover of the book Naruto was reading before commenting. "Only you would pick the most boring book in my entire library to read during your stay here."

Naruto didn't say anything for a moment with his eyes twinkling in amusement, "I have already read every book in your library with a group of clones, sitting here and reading this now is just a formality because I have nothing to do in this war torn country." Naruto said calmly. "You might wanna pay less attention to what I am doing, and more towards your country."

Mei did her best to show she wasn't visibly effected by the jab, "Hmm," she began in annoyance. "Well I am busy trying to figure out why the three tails decided to attack your ship, and better yet as to how it escaped. Seeing as how your team is practically completely out of commission, you are one of my key sources of information."

Naruto didn't even bother to hold back his laugh, "Right... Sanbi was trying to warn me to not go to the country because they have a tendency for killing jinchuriki hosts."

Mei clenched her fists on the table for a moment before quickly calming herself, "Your right, our people do what needs to be done. You have a right to be scared considering that you quite obviously have two beasts trapped in you. I understand that you could be worried about being trapped in the Mist with us... sharks."

Naruto took a deep breath before sighing and repeating what Miyuki had told him days before, "I have heard it before..." Naruto began in exasperation. "_Sharks start out as eggs, but incubate and hatch in the womb. Sometimes the number of pups is less than the numbers that were fertilized. Do you know why? Cannibalism. The pups start eating each other within the womb the moment they hatch. They start killing their siblings the moment they enter the world, viewing everything they see as nothing but prey. We, the swordsmen, are the sharks that survived._" he continued giving his best impersonation of Kisame from the brief time that he had met the man in the past.

Although the image was more then enough to freeze Mei completely stiff. Her visible mask of confidence that she always wore was temporarily shattered. She did her best to hold her voice strong as past memories flooded back to her, but she could only speak with a light shake in her voice. "You don't truly believe that... do you?" Mei asked in an almost worried tone. Something that Naruto did not miss, and in turn caused him to raise his eyebrow.

Naruto was quick to give a non-committal reply that completed Miyuki's other story by saying, "I believe we are humans, not fish. You wont know what type of person you are until the moments before your death." Naruto gave a light sneer towards Mei's direction, "Even if they should already be branded terrible people."

Mei appeared to be visibly shaken up a bit by the confrontation between her and Naruto. She stood up and made her way to the door, mustering as much confidence as she could, "Next time we talk don't speak in constant fish references." she said calmly before exiting the room.

Naruto smirked to himself lightly as he watched the Mizukage flee the room. Naruto didn't know why the statement had gotten Mei so shook up that she felt the need to leave the room. Perhaps she just didn't agree with Miyuki's beliefs, or perhaps Zabuza's beliefs. Regardless, Naruto couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.

There was only so much he could do in this small library before he would grow stir crazy. He had to admit, he enjoyed reading now quite a bit. He knew if this was a mere few months ago, those words would never be coming out of his mouth. Yet now... with every turn of a page in a book, every bit of information he remembered would only cause him to be a better shinobi. Naruto knew he couldn't help but grow to love the subject.

Information lined the walls of this library, all of it that he had sifted through. Though while not having yet put any of it into practice. Never in his wildest dreams did he think on his first mission he would learn about over thirty different poisons typically employed by Suna during the shinobi wars. He never expected to have information on so many random geographical areas across the elemental nations. He had to admit though, the most interesting areas he had read about were in Iwa.

Although despite all of this information that had been laid out before him, it all came back to one question for him. What do you do when you have read all of it?

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose as he snapped the book he had just been page turning shut. There had to be something to do in this village... something he could do to pass time.

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Naruto banged his head heavily against the table the moment he sat down and his order was taken. It was official. The shinigami had taken his soul, and he was in hell. He could not find ramen... anywhere! Granted, he knew he didn't know the village that well. However that was besides the point. Every single dirt or muddy street he turned down it was all the same thing. Just a bunch of fish places, that while some smelled quite good... it was all fish!

He hadn't even found one of the most basic of basic markets to buy a few cups of ramen. Naruto groaned in unison with his growling stomach. Suddenly the fact that he didn't go with Mei that one day was suddenly all the more appealing now realizing just what the choices for food were around here.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair with a sigh before he pulled out one of the books he had grabbed from the small library at Mei's place. There were a few books that he felt had subjects that would be incredibly useful to learn. The key was simply that he would need to actually learn how to use the techniques. Although... he couldn't help himself from feeling rather giddy at the fact that he was currently staring at generalized theory crafting behind the mysterious abilities of the legendary Salamander Hanzo.

The man was known across all of the elemental nations for being hailed as one of the strongest shinobi around. He was said to rule over Amegakure with an iron fist, and as he grew older his paranoia had grown to get the best of him. Although that didn't take away from his abilities as a shinobi. If anything paranoia only served to make a shinobi better. It just meant they were ready for anything.

The tales of how his Salamander boss summon, while paling in size comparison to the summons of the legendary Sannin was able to not only defeat one Sannin, but all three at the same time. That summon showed the world that size matters not. Although then again, Naruto was fairly sure after his reading that the Third Tsuchikage had proven that a long time ago.

Although Naruto wasn't busy reading about the Salamander summon. That would only set himself up to be let down considering he wouldn't be able to actually utilize the summon himself. No he was looking at the more peculiar theories behind the Ame ninja. He kept on staring at one line that was followed by numerous theories and ideas.

_Caution: On water, his speed is unsurpassed._

Normally one could have just written this off as mere fear, or one overestimating a shinobi's abilities. Although the key factor that resolved around this quote was who it came from. It came from not one, but many Iwa shinobi. To say one's speed was unsurpassed was just as easy as saying that he was the fastest. Although this also brought up the question of... How could Salamander Hanzo's speed be unsurpassed according to the shinobi who were forced to face off against Konoha's Yellow Flash?

Naruto paused as he thought over the shinobi that just crossed his mind before sneering. It was easy to forget about just who your parents were when they were never around, and never left you anything.

Naruto shook his head from the thoughts of the late Hokage and tried his best to distract him with his surroundings. However when he looked up all he could do was stare blankly. It was just a sea of blue... and he wasn't looking at the ocean. Now Naruto was native to Fire Country, not Water Country. A sea of people with blue hair was not your typical everyday occurrence. Heck, he had blonde hair, and he was even a rare occurrence in Fire Country.

Naruto took a deep breath as he sighed and turned his attention back to his book. There wasn't much to look at when everyone looked relatively the same with blue or black hair in blue or black garbs. People didn't even know him, and his blonde hair was attracting more than enough attention to him. The woman sitting in the back of the restaurant with the dark blue hair, eye shadow, and a tiny lip piercing had been staring at him intently since the moment he came into the shop. He could only thank his taijutsu training with multiple shadow clones for his heightened awareness.

Naruto calmly took a napkin from the tiny dispenser on the table as well as a small pen he had on him from when he had been formerly taking notes in the library. As irritating as all the eyes were, he was far more focused and interested in figuring out how Hanzo's speed was "Unsurpassed."

Although Naruto wouldn't call himself a water jutsu expert. He had only been training for a few months. He did know the general basics of it. So as he began to look at the various theories behind Hanzo's speed that were listed by random ninja over the years, he could only resisted the urge to slam his palm into his face. It was as if half of these theories were written by complete idiots.

"Fancy book you got there." called out a deep male voice from a few feet beside Naruto. "I recognize it from the Mizukage's private library." the man said calmly as Naruto turned to face him.

The man appeared to be in his late thirties, perhaps early forties. He had a few wrinkles on his forehead and under his gray eyes. He must of skipped shaving that morning as his "5 o'clock shadow" was practically hiding the scar that ran from his right cheek down to his neck. He had a faded light blue hair, quite the common color associated with those in the Mist. He was dressed in the standard Mist jounin apparel that had definitely seen better days. In truth he looked like your completely average shinobi up close.

"Well?" the man asked, agitated at the lack of response.

'_Your average nosy shinobi...' _Naruto thought to himself dryly. "I borrowed it." Naruto quipped back as he continued to pay more attention to his book, and recently delivered food. He had just come across a rather interesting concept that added up towards Hanzo's unique speed. Although theories were just theories until actually put into practice.

The man gave a brief look of amusement, "Perhaps the more important question to ask Mr..." he paused to stare at the blonde.

"Naruto." Naruto said in response to the man's unspoken question.

"Mr. Naruto... the more important question would be as to why you are 'borrowing' from my library." the man said with a grin, but surprisingly it wasn't one of anger that would typically be associated with such a question. Instead it was just a warm smile. To say it stumped Naruto would be an understatement.

"Ehhh what your library?" Naruto knew he should be putting two and two together right away. Yet whoever said smiles were disarming was telling the truth.

The older male gave a laugh at the clearly confused boy before outstretching his hand, "Don't worry about it." he said with a wave of his free hand, "I'm Koi, Sento Koi."

Naruto looked at the outstretched hand momentarily before closing the book before shaking hands with Koi. "Uzumaki Naruto..." Naruto said with a raised eyebrow still slightly surprised with what exactly had brought everything on. Although Naruto didn't like the look of recognition that flashed across the man's face the moment Naruto gave his full name to the man.

Koi's eyes narrowed as he pulled away his hand and said, "Really..." he asked almost disbelieving of the circumstances. Although before any potential conflict could happen, the blue haired female from the back of the restaurant made her way between the two occupants.

Koi straightened up in an instant and put on his best smile as he realized the woman in their presence, "Ahhh miss Rokusho, I hope your stay is being most pleasant." You could tell the man was forcing a smile as he came to the end of his sentence. Although despite Naruto noticing it, he kept his mouth shut.

The woman returned a charming smile, or at least she tried to. Perhaps Koi bought into it, but Naruto saw right through the smile. He had seen and had been giving fake smiles his entire life. He could call one when he saw it. It was clear her intentions weren't to talk to the man. However if it weren't to talk to Koi... then...

"Oh yes my stay has actually been most pleasant. However I couldn't help but notice... this boy must be new in the village correct? I can only assume as such considering you didn't know who he was, and had to introduce yourself to him." she said with a small smile. Although you could tell there were hidden intentions, anyone could. No one comes from the back corner of a restaurant just to meet some random stranger after eavesdropping on a conversation. Particularly when they probably had to intentionally eavesdrop at that distance.

"I just figured that if me and my family are going to invest and indeed move here. I need to be honest and know that my good experience here is not just one being fabricated because my family have the potential to generate your village great revenue. So I was going to see if I could borrow a few minutes of this young shinobi's time and see how his experience in this village has been thus far." The woman said firmly, holding her ground. The way she carried herself was something to note.

She wore a top that was the same color as her hair. It split down the center just under her impressive bust. Although Naruto found himself having a hard time choosing between whether he should allow himself to be a teenager and stare at her chest, or if he should stare at the extremely intricate flower design lightly airbrushed in a faded white on her top. Naruto traveled lower averting his eyes from her top as to not give the wrong impression. Although it only rewarded him the sight of a toned stomach with a belly button with four small bead piercings around it. He concede to merely finish looking over the woman with a quick glance so he wouldn't get caught up looking at a specific part of her again. She topped off the rest of her appearance with virtually skin tight black leather pants that left little for the imagination. The only other notable things Naruto even noticed as he traveled south down her body was an ring that looked oddly similar but he couldn't place his finger on where from.

Naruto snapped himself out of his thoughts and allowed himself to catch the very end of the interaction between Koi, and this miss Rokusho.

"Well as I have told you before miss, if you need anything. Don't hesitate to ask." Koi said calmly as he turned and left.

Naruto opted to stare cautiously at the man's retreating form. There was something off about him. Then add to the fact that the book he had been reading was apparently his... there were very few people he could be. That thought alone Naruto didn't like. After all, with that description, there were very few people he could have been. Although he was broken from his stare as he heard a far colder sounding voice from the woman before.

"Well now Uzumaki Naruto... I believe we should talk."

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Sasuke remained relatively impassive as he watched his teammate get progressively more and more disturbed as she slept in a chair by his bedside. He didn't even need to question what his pink haired teammate was dreaming about, the way she began to start nearly thrashing around in her chair. It only took a few moments for it to finally become too much for the girl.

Sakura spilled out of her chair, and toppled forward catching herself on her hands and knees. She was quick to bring a hand to her throat, as if she was suffocating. She was producing short breaths as he chest heaved in and out rapidly. Sasuke reasoned that someone would probably think she was having a panic attack.

'_She probably is...'_ He thought to himself a bit dryly. Although he didn't bother to get out of bed to help his teammate. Not that he could do much anyways with such a screwed up arm.

By the time Sakura got herself off of the ground, she looked pale, almost as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes were watery, and you could seal small beads of sweat on her forehead.

"I wont even bother asking if you had another nightmare." Sasuke said calmly as he closed his eyes and laid back against his pillow, ignoring the glare Sakura was shooting his way. Although Sasuke could barely contain a smirk at Sakura's action.

They had grown close as of late. Naruto had been constantly off doing his own thing that the team dynamic had shifted. Sasuke knew that for the longest time... he was the person that held the team together. One could call that statement arrogant, but the fact of the matter was simply... it was the truth.

Sakura had a crush on him for the longest time, that she in the past was even willing to turn a blind eye to Naruto if it meant she would spend more time with her crush. Whether Kakashi was going to admit it or not, the fact that he had chosen to train solely Sasuke over the course of the month proved to their team that Sasuke was their sensei's favorite. Finally... '_Naruto...'_ Sasuke could barely contain the grin that popped onto his face at the thought of his teammate.

Sasuke knew for the longest time he was everything that Naruto was not, and yet everything he wanted to be. Sasuke was acknowledged by his teachers... Naruto was not. Sasuke had the affections of Naruto's crush... Naruto did not. Sasuke had always been able to upstage Naruto, and showcase a greater level of skill than him. In truth, Sasuke knew for the longest time he had been better than Naruto in nearly every way. That was where the rivalry began. Naruto wanted to become better... to be greater...

Sasuke's grin slipped from his face as he let one thought sink in, _'And he succeeded...'_

Sasuke was center focus of the team, and his teammates revolved around him for their own specific reasons. However when Naruto had finally beaten Sasuke in the finals... and not by just a small amount either.

_'He toyed with me...'_ Sasuke thought bitterly as he recalled the fight where he had to practically run around like a dog just to tire out and get beaten down through the use of pepper.

Naruto no longer had a reason to hang around the team. He had grown up... he had excelled at a speed far faster then anyone had ever expected to. To think that the "Dead Last" of the academy would go on to become the first one of their graduating class to become a chunin? He had met other people. Whether it be the Mizukage, who had taken a special interest in Naruto. So much so that she was willing to have him stay in her private quarters of her own house? Or the fact that Naruto could just leave the village for awhile and come back with the two Sannin? Or finally becoming quite quite close to the young Hyuuga that was viewed as so skilled that she was able to graduate the academy early? Even he hadn't been allowed to graduate early.

Sasuke could only clinch his fists at the thoughts of Naruto, the parallels of another shinobi close to him that was known for excelling through the ranks quickly.

Sasuke was broken from his thoughts as he felt a shiver from down by his feet. Sakura had taken to leaning forward with her forehead on his bedside. She had her eyes closed once again, trying her best to get some decent sleep. Although even Sasuke could tell without his sharingan... the rings under her eyes told the world that the girl hadn't been sleeping much.

Sasuke did his best to ignore the girl's current situation, but as the minutes went by, and her light shivers would increase. Sasuke soon enough could only groan in frustration. He liked it better a mere few weeks ago when he practically couldn't care whether the girl fell down some stairs or not.

"You aren't going to get a good nights rest until you let go of the past Sakura." Sasuke said in a condescending, yet bored voice.

Sakura gave a low growl in response, obviously grumpy from an over all lack of sleep. "You have no right to talk down to me about letting go of the past Sasuke-_kun_."

Sasuke allowed the silence to take over the room again. There wasn't much he could say to that. He knew he was by far the worst person to ever talk to about giving up the past. Then there was the fact that the suffix added to his name was quite forced.

'_I wonder if I like her more now that she actually isn't afraid to talk back to me._' Sasuke thought to himself in amusement as looked down towards the end of the bed at his teammate.

"You're right. I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about Sakura. I can not possibly begin to understand how to get through sleepless nights after having a rough past." Sasuke said calmly, sarcasm dripping off every word. However the words struck home as he was able to notice quite the flinch from his pink haired teammate.

Silence once again filled the room for at least a good three minutes, before Sakura replied.

"You're an asshole..." she muttered under her breath, but in the silent room, it might as well have been as quiet as slamming door.

Sasuke smirked, "Hn..."

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"Well well well..." came the voice that carried the sound of someone being thoroughly impressed or surprised. "I guess you were able to pull it off after all." a man said as he made his presence known in the Mizukage's private office. "You have truly outdone yourself."

Mei looked up from a small stack of paperwork in irritation, "What do you want Koi, I have more important things to be dealing with." she said as she reverted her attention back to the paperwork before her.

Koi could only grin, "I was so wrong to think marriage would make you more relaxed." Koi said in amusement, ignoring his earlier statements.

Mei grit her teeth at his comment, but instead of firing back a retort, she merely asked "Again what do you want?"

Koi grinned at the thought of all of the things he could ask. However he was a shinobi, and he knew there was a time and place for everything. "I see that Uzumaki Naruto indeed followed you home like a lost puppy Mei. What did you do to the Jinchuriki?" Koi asked with a small laugh.

Mei's expression soured at how the man before her addressed Naruto. His tone left something to be desired as he spoke as if Naruto was some form of a lesser human being. Although instead of voicing her true feelings on the matter, she merely retorted, "I merely used a few tricks here and there. I knew that I would need to make my trip short seeing as how I would more then likely have a foolish... arrogant... ignorant husband to deal with as I returned home. Naturally, I was correct." she practically spat out the last part.

Koi straightened up quickly and narrowed his eyes at that, "I was merely doing what was best fo-"

He didn't get to finish as Mei cut him off, not looking up from a stack of papers. "Apparently we both have drastically different opinions on what is best for the village Koi..."

Koi merely snorted in amusement as the woman finished his statement. "Please, spare me the grief Mei. While you may put on some silly facade out in public that makes you appear as some strong leader of a women. There are a few people that see you for what you really are, I am one of them." Koi began with a sneer as he sat himself down in the chair across from Mei not bothering to ask for her permission.

"The difference between you and me is that when I am given the choice between what is right and what is easy I-"

"Go with what is easy?" Mei asked in a growl, cutting the man off once again.

"I do what is right for our country. This brief time of peace has made you soft Mei. Sometimes I find myself questioning whether you are fit to leader this country." Koi stated as he glared at the woman across from him, kicking his feet up onto the desk.

"Perhaps you didn't see how much damage this pathetic civil war has caused our people? A hundred, hundred lives wasted. Now I come back to my village, and find out you are getting ready to prepare an attack on Suna? Just because they are weak after their failed attack on Konoha? I want to abolish the view the world has on our country. I don't want everyone to look at us a be reminded we all came from 'The Bloody Mist.'" Mei said passionately, one of the few moments she ever actually showed any significant amount of emotion.

"Or perhaps the world needs to be reminded that we are 'The Bloody Mist', the village that believed in the quality of shinobi rather than the quantity of them. Perhaps this moment is the one our village has been waiting for, our chance to redeem our country. You are just too scared to take it." Koi spat out harshly at the end. A tense silence was all that would follow for a good few minutes after.

"I suggest you remove your feet from my desk before I forcefully remove them from your body Koi..." Mei said in a completely impassive voice, finally regaining her composure and giving the man her full attention.

Koi grinned, but was wise enough to lower his feet. "You always were the brawn of the relationship Mei..." Koi said softly as if reminiscing.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm the brains of the relationship as well. Actually scratch that, I am just the brains Koi. There is no relationship between us. Never was, never will be." Mei commented with a glare as she subtly reached under her desk for a standard issue curved Mist kunai.

"Our marriage says otherwise... _darling_." He said in a sickly sweet voice.

"On paper." Mei began as she rolled her eyes. "Although you know as well as I do now that I merely married you as a thank you to your father. I could frankly care less if you died. I merely cared about his money, and these people."

Koi merely hummed in amusement at Mei's blatant admission of her past actions. "If only that were the truth. However Mei, I would like to let you know that while you were gone. I felt that the fact that my father died of unknown circumstances, it would be in my best interest to write a will. Seeing as how if anything happened to my... all of my personal artifacts... as well as my father's would be going to the closest family relation." Koi commented slowly as he saw the woman across from his visibly tense.

"Now I know that my father for a long time practically carried our side of the war on his shoulders financially. Between owning nearly all of the ports, and employing tyrants like Gato to ensure our side had enough funding... However now that the war was over, and my father has... passed away. I felt that it would be best to write in my will that upon my death my assets should go to charity." Koi said with a huge grin appearing on his face.

Mei couldn't even hold in her twitch right above her eye as her grip on the kunai under her desk loosened.

"Someone has to help look out for all of those orphans we have out there now." Koi quipped quickly at Mei's silence.

Mei took a few deep breaths at this revelation, "Why the hell are you doing this?" she asked quietly, her irritation evident in her voice.

Koi stared at her blankly before a gleam in his eyes appeared as he leaned forward onto the desk. "The better question should be why I have let you roam free for so long without doing this. Perhaps we should make it a tradition of the Mizukage's merely being puppets for people in the shadows. After all Yagura was able to pull that off quite well... until you killed him along with countless others..."

Mei said nothing for a moment, "Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the happiness and safety of others."

Koi gave a laugh, "Easily said from the woman who has yet to sacrifice anything... besides others."

Mei clenched her fists in her lap before standing quickly, "I believe we are done here. I think you should leave." Mei said in a commanding voice.

Koi wagged his eyebrows at the woman as he left the room, "I love you dear!" he yelled as he opened her office door, it was more then enough for anyone in the surrounding area to hear the man. He shot a smirk back at Mei who had since sat down at her desk, giving him an infuriated stare.

The moment the door closed shut, Mei ran to hands through her hair before collapsing forward with her head in her hands. She needed to find a way to remedy this situation... badly. She could only thank Kami that she currently had some peace and quiet to think about it.

...

...

...

"Mizukage-sama!" a female assistant yelled loudly as she burst through the doors.

Mei looked up, weighing the pros and cons of killing the messenger with the kunai under the desk before the message actually got delivered.

"There is a battle going on between two shinobi not far from here, we believe one of the people to be that boy from the Konoha team that won the chunin exams!"

Mei was quick to move, despite the fact that she was distracted. She only wished she could get a break soon to deal with her own personal problems.

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Naruto was on a single knee, weary, winded, and panting heavily. His entire body was drenched in blood, even if his cuts had since healed. Although he could do nothing but listen as the blue haired woman with a paper flower in her hair, whom he learned over the course of the battle to be name Konan went on.

"Our organization the Akatsuki will achieve peace!" the woman said with conviction as she stood over Naruto's bloody form.

Naruto could only laugh at the woman's proclamation. "You dare preach to me about peace after you just spent the last hour kicking the shit out of me?"

Konan didn't even appeared phased by Naruto's comment as she brushed it off and continued. "You jinchuriki are a disease that plagues these nations." Konan began calmly as she picked Naruto up by his neck. "An everlasting darkness that instigates war, pain, and suffering. To ensure peace, our organization intends to remove such temptations like the powers of a tailed beast. Once we have attained them all..."

Naruto grit his teeth as he was hoisted up by his neck, "Peace through superior firepower? Forcing everyone to live in fear... yeah... that is true peace." Naruto coughed out a laugh as he struggled to breath through the woman's grip.

Konan had the decency to look mildly ashamed as her views were put in those terms. However that look was quickly replaced by one of conviction. "You all are an everlasting darkness, a darkness that makes it impossible for the flowers of hope to ever flourish."

Naruto could only grin at that, and once again coughed, "Peace... is a lie."

Naruto sailing through the air moments later flying at a tree only proved to him that what he just said probably wasn't the smoothest thing to say to the woman.

The woman walked up to the fallen jinchuriki, whom to her surprise was still conscious, if barely. She let a storm of paper fly out of her sleeves, preparing to wrap the boy up in order to carry him. Although what was said next made the woman freeze.

"You say that jinchuriki... that demons are the darkness of this world?" Naruto gave a laugh at that notion alone before he continued, "A place where these 'Flowers of Hope' can't flourish." Naruto said mockingly with finger quotes that couldn't even be raised past his slack legs in his exhausted state.

"Your kind provide a world without light, where the flowers of hope and my own flowers can only wither and die." She further accentuated her statement by forming a bouquet of paper flowers out of her hand.

Naruto sighed, here he was staring his possible death in the face... and all he could do was be cynical.

He scoffed...

"Only living flowers flourish in the sun." Naruto said as he stared at the bouquet of paper flowers before him.

The woman's eyes momentarily widened as she looked at her flowers. She had a sinking feeling she knew what the boy was going to say, and didn't like the prospect of it at all.

"However your dead white paper flowers on the other hand... they will only bloom their brightest in the darkness."

Konan looked slightly sick to herself at what Naruto had said. She looked as if she had just been stabbed in the gut with how pale she was. Although she recovered and straightened herself soon enough, and a bed of paper flew around Naruto's unmoving form. "You know nothing of what you speak of." Konan said quickly in a condescending tone, trying her best to make it seem like what was just said didn't effect her badly.

Naruto in his exhaustion could only grin as he closed his eyes and mumbled, "Your right... I know nothing of peace... for it doesn't exist. Perhaps your organization should stop trying to purge the world of 'darkness' and instead try and find a way to put it into a balance." the last thing he heard before he closed his eyes and passed out was a large explosion near by.

**XXXXXXX**

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Alright, obvious quite a shorter chapter. It was originally intended to be considerably longer, but I decided to cut out most of Naruto's interaction with Konan and provide it later in a flashback. Konan's bit was highly inspired by Where Even Paper Can Flourish, thus the nod with the chapter title. A ridiculously ridiculously ridiculously good, and very very cool one shot. You can most definitely expect elements of that to pop up in this story again. You get a bit of more insight into Sasuke and Sakura's new dynamic.

You meet Mei's husband, and I have toyed with many many many different characters that would eventually fit the roll of her husband. This is ranging from someone akin to Gato from Wave, all the way to a relatively young shinobi like Koi.

Anyways I decided to introduce Konan in the Mist as you saw. Pretty much anyone I showcase in this story will be used again later. Konan's role becomes bigger as the story continues on.

x

A lot of people got caught up on the whole NarutoxMei/NarutoxHanabi/Naruto whoever situation. Far more then I ever expected. All I can say is trust me, I know what I am doing. If I was being honest with myself, I can't see this story being done without ~200k more words. So you will see Naruto and Hanabi, as well as Naruto and Mei... as well as possibly others. I don't believe in love at first sight, and I also believe relationships need to grow. So you can expect that much from this story.

x

Anyways I will leave this off with a question and a story you all should check out :).

question: If you could have Naruto learn anything in the Mist village, what would you have him learn? Bonus points for creativity. Double bonus points if you can go into detail as to how you think the things he learns will help him later in the future.

x

Story you all should check out, it is extremely well done. "New Perspective" by shadow2341. I wont spoil anything, but the story is extremely well written and well done. If you like quality, you should check that story out.


	20. An Unlikely Vulnerability

"Mei-sama. The boy has been unconscious for the past four days. You must know by now having listened to the countless doctors come in that he has been suffering severe chakra exhaustion. That fact alone has stunted his rate of healing in regards to his more physical injuries. He will be bedridden for at least another week, and you should know as well as I that the chances he should make a full recovery... well they are slim to none." the nurse commented from the corner of the room. She had been checking in on the boy daily as had other nurses upon strict order from the Mizukage. Why the boy was deemed so special, and deserved this privilege was beyond her.

Mei scoffed at the last part of the woman's statement. '_Not make a full recovery?_' a glint of amusement flashed across her face as she admired the young blonde laying in the bed before her. '_Yeah right..._'

"Thank you. You are dismissed." Mei said calmly. While she appreciated the woman's expertise in normal cases. The nurse had no idea what she was talking about in regards to Naruto. She had personally seen the boy heal through a kunai stabbing him directly in the stomach during training.

The Nurse looked defensive and put her hands on her hips, "Mizukage-sama, forgive me for saying this. However you cannot spend all of your time coming here fussing over some boy from Konoha. You have your own duties as our leader that you need to take care of, and they can't be fulfilled in your private quarters looking after this child."

Mei took a deep breath weighing the woman's words before turning directly towards the nurse. "I truly believe it would be in your best interest to leave _me_ be, and let _me_ worry about how _I _will run _my_ village." she said with several pauses to showcase the possessiveness of her statement. "Or perhaps you believe you are more capable of running the village than I am?" Mei questioned as she stood up, now looking quite imposing in contrast to the rather small young nurse.

Needless to say the nurse was quick to give a string of apologies, and admit that she didn't know what she was talking about before quickly choosing to backpedal out of the room. Once the nurse's presence vanish, Mei was quick to flop back down into the chair that had been her makeshift home for the past few days. She had only taken the smallest of breaks each day to shower. Otherwise she could order her Anbu to have someone retrieve her some food or anything else she would need. Beyond that she had taken to having a light blanket folded over her chair which she would use at night when she opted to stay by the boy's side. If she could sleep? She would. Yet each day Naruto wouldn't wake up, it just became harder and harder to sleep.

Truthfully, she knew that she shouldn't be doing this. It was improper, and it didn't really stand that well considering that she was the Mizukage fussing over a boy from Konoha. Although... for some reason if she was honest with herself? She wouldn't have it any other way. She had been trying to bury the prospect for a long time, but in the past few days, her eyes had been opened up quite thoroughly. She knew there was always a saying that was 'You don't know what you have until it's gone' yet in the past for Mei, this never held true. She had only cared once about losing someone, and as time went by? Even that pain dulled. Mei had since become the perfect leader for her people, and a great deal of this was due to a certain level of apathy she had gained for the world, and her views towards people.

Although perhaps becoming apathetic was the destiny for every famous female shinobi. It certainly happened in regards to Suna's famous puppeteer Chiyo, or Konoha's medic Tsunade.

Yet for once in a long time, when she saw Naruto laying there on the brink of death? She felt something. Like a searing knife being embedded in her gut, a pain that had long since been buried came flooding back into her life. The fear of loss? The feeling of loss? The feeling of regret... hopelessness... helplessness? If she knew beforehand that she would have been saying goodbye to apathy? Perhaps she would have mentally prepared herself.

So here she remained, brushing blonde locks out of the young teenager's face. She knew that her pride, and the image she had perfectly crafted over the years wouldn't ever permit it. She would never be able to admit the truth. The truth that she for the first time in a long time actually cared about someone.

Mei grimaced...

It terrified her.

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"What are we doing..." came a quiet female voice after having just sat through a rather exhausting meeting.

"What do you mean Konan?" came the calm voice from a man leaning forward on an archway overlooking a stormy city. He balanced himself effortlessly with a single hand reaching the top of the archway, with a symbolic ring gleaming in the darkness.

"I mean everything Nagato!" the woman nearly cried out, apparently not waiting for the conversation to grow before it took an emotional turn. The action alone surprised the orange haired man standing across from the woman. He took his eyes off of the storm before turning to the woman.

"Are you alright Konan? You usually aren't like this..." he said treading carefully on the subject, ignoring the earlier question.

Konan looked down towards her feet clenching her fists. It had been days, and still what the blonde jinchuriki had said to her was constantly running through her mind. "Why do we hunt the Jinchuriki? What is the purpose of all of this? What are we fighting for Nagato?"

Nagato raised an eyebrow towards the woman, his only friend. In truth it had been a long time since he had heard that name, at times he felt as if he didn't even recognize it. "You have forgotten what we are fighting for?" he asked uncertainly, feeling the prospect was utterly ridiculous. The answer was obvious of course, they were fighting for...

Nagato pursed his lips at the inability to fully complete the thought. For the longest time the Akatsuki had been fighting not for world peace, but to liberate Ame from tyranny. They had since accomplished the later of the two. Why their goals shifted... he couldn't completely say himself.

"Have you looked at us recently? You have told me that your eyes can see everything Nagato. Well look at us! We claim we are fighting for peace, and yet in order to achieve our peace we instigate war!" Konan said with a great deal more emotion than she had shown anyone else... alive.

Nagato said nothing, instead opting to turn towards watching the storm. If anyone else in the world had talked to him like that, they would more than likely end up soulless. Yet Konan... his friend. His only friend. She could say whatever she truly wanted to him and he knew he wouldn't even raise a hand to oppose her. '_After all... I love her...'_

Nagato instantly halted that thought and clenched his eyes shut before running a hand through his hair. The process made his head dip forward and get slightly wet due to the never ending storm. He took a deep breath before fixing his statement, '_No... I love her like a sister... Yahiko loved her. Being in his body hasn't changed anything.'_ he tried to reassure himself with the same logical explanations he could give for everything else in the shinobi world. After all his eyes can look at a technique and know it's complete breakdown on a physical and spiritual level with just a glance. Having practically all of the knowledge in the world at your disposal through your eyes made most things in his given profession simple to accomplish. '_Now if only these eyes would help me with the interactions regarding mortals...'_

Nagato would have caught himself if it wasn't for the fact that his long time friend was able to situate herself beside him and know exactly what he was thinking. "Whether we want to believe or not, we are not gods! You are not a god! Just as I am not an angel Nagato..." Konan said slowly as she sat down in the archway, just close enough so she could reach her hand out to get rained upon by the crying city. "Have you ever thought about all of this?" Konan asked calmly as she watched he paper that covered her hands get wet, only to properly dry them with her chakra just to repeat the process.

Nagato refused to say anything, but after having known the man all of her life. Konan knew that his eyes spoke far more than words ever could. The slightest narrowing of his eyes as he peered out into the distance, the ruined remains of Hanzo's reserved section of the city.

If he hadn't thought about it previously, he was certainly thinking about it now.

Konan knew that she herself wasn't much of a talker, but when it came down to a conversation with Nagato. She looked like a babbling fangirl in contrast to how much one of the last remnants of the Uzumaki clan beside her spoke. "Well I have thought about it a lot lately." She said hoping to get the man beside her to voice his opinions on the matter. "We hunt these tailed beasts like their containers are exactly like what they contain. Like a disease needing to be purged. Yet who are we to make such a choice for them? We hunt them because they exist. I believe that alone makes us no better than the beasts we claim them to be." she finished the last part a bit weakly.

Alright perhaps her views didn't change completely over night, perhaps she still had her doubts. However the more she thought about this subject, the more things came into question. The more she wanted reassurance in one was or another. In truth she hoped that Nagato could perhaps unlock a vault of knowledge regarding the subject. Although the prospect of Nagato knowing anything in regards to how normal people act in regards to the matter at hand? It was slim to none.

"Look at what we have become. We have been preaching all of our lives about achieving peace in Ame. Yet look at what we did to everyone who supported Hanzo? We slaughtered him, his entire family, even the women and children that had family members whom supported him. Now for all of this time we have virtually been ruling this city, gathering these resources, spying on jinchuriki, and all with minimal purpose to my knowledge. Do we really even have a plan?" Konan said with a frown as she distastefully looked off into the distance.

"We have become no better than what we are hunting... those cursed beasts." She said calmly knowing Nagato would very likely have little to say the entire encounter. Although she could only hope her words would give him something to ponder on. "I fear that this isn't what we truly want... this isn't what Yahiko would want. It may come to a point where one of these containers will oppose us, and defeat us. Then when he judges us, like we have been judging everyone else. We will be past the point of being saved. As if every shred of humanity left within us has vanished." she finished slowly as she stared up at Nagato with a final thought.

'_If it hasn't already...'_

"Those are quite the questions to ponder on." called out a voice from the shadows behind them.

Konan tensed and clenched her fists in her hands as she heard foot steps coming closer.

"To question whether one is doing the right thing or not? That the prospect of the road to hell is paved with good intentions? The fear that one shall lose themselves following a righteous path? These questions I have asked myself many times before." came the calm voice of an orange masked man as he made his presence known in the dark room overlooking the city.

The two Ame orphans turned towards the man, "Madara..." Konan said with a hiss as she stared at the single eye hole in the mask. Nagato's only recognition of his presence was a mere nod in the ancient Uchiha's direction.

**XXXXX** Next bit is mostly Madara PoV, hence the barrier **XXXXX**

Madara scowled momentarily behind his mask at being addressed to like that by Konan. However that scowl was quickly crushed as he took the opportunity to stare long and hard at the blue haired woman beside the Rinnegan wielder.

'_Oh... how ending her would be so easy...'_ Madara thought slowly as he stared at the woman from behind his mask in a tense silence.

Madara yearned to face the woman in battle. Although not due to her disrespect like most would assume. No, he wanted to see the blue haired Angel's wings burn. '_After all... if she couldn't be his angel... than why did the self-proclaimed "God" before him get to have her?' _Madara thought with a scowl.

In comparison to his age, the woman before him was but a girl. How the young girl before him could defiantly oppose him was beyond him. Didn't the girl know? If only she knew. Without him, her god would be nothing, a nobody. He wouldn't even have those precious eyes he held so dearly. Yet the girl could so easily stand there, staring him down defiantly like he was the true darkness in the world. The blank mask she had perfected over the years of war was plastered all of her face... such a beautiful face.

Konan was one of a kind, to Madara's knowledge, there was no one else in the world like her out there. At least... that is when you look at things through the eyes of an Uchiha. This is simply because to the Sharingan? Nothing was attractive. Every time you look at someone, your vision is flooded with the crystal clear image that one could only compare to death. Sickly yellow pores, dry rough skin, Oozing disgusting oil dripping from every invisible orifices of the face. The fact that everyone had those qualities, looking like rotting serpent carcasses. It isn't a surprise that it was known for many Uchiha to go insane. The prospect that many others were quick to brush off women, just so they didn't have to deal with looking at their utterly disgusting faces.

Yet Konan... she was beautiful. She had no organic skin, at least visible. No, her skin was made of paper. That perfect smooth paleness, delicate porcelain like features. She was beautiful even to his sharingan. Perhaps that was why he had taken to checking up on her, and watching over her far more than any other member of their organization. Unbeknown to her or anyone else of course. If they needed information, they could always ask Zetsu. Eventually Konan would die, where as he would still be alive. He fully intended to spend his time admiring the perfect woman while he still could. After all... nothing last forever.

'_Except me of course..._' he thought to himself with a bit of humor added in.

He had to look out for her. Yes she was strong, but there were stronger people out there. He couldn't let them ruin something that in his eyes had reached the levels of perfection. Even his wife... long since dead... even she was ugly. Being forced to marry at a young age, Madara could remember quite well the way his wife always turned her face away from him whether it be from his casual glance or his stare from the heat of gasped out passion. Shame... she was an Uchiha as well. She knew exactly what his permanently activated sharingan would see when he looked at her.

The irony of it all was his old friend, Hashirama had commented that his wife was perhaps the most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha. If only they could see what he saw. The people that say 'It is what is on the inside that counts' obviously hadn't bared witness to the unspeakable horrors he had witness plastered across the faces of even the most beautiful of women.

Yet all throughout, here he was standing at a distance from the woman. The fact that if he even so much as touched her, he would be under the assault of the Rinnegan wielder beside her, without question. The concept that Konan was some pure entity that should not, and could not be corrupted by someone such as him. It made his blood boil.

Yet Madara could calm himself. After living over a hundred years, one knew a thing or two about patience. The girl before him was just misinformed. That was all. She obviously didn't realize that Nagato is merely his pawn, as was Yahiko before him. Soon enough she would come around... hopefully.

'_It is a strange paradox I suppose..._' Madara mused to himself as he relished in the tense silence in the room. '_The fact that his pawns had gained her affection, and yet he the one who controlled them all, Madara was treated like he was the enemy.'_

Madara sighed behind his mask deciding to end his train of thoughts. After all looking after the blue haired woman, he had seen her become distraught after hearing the Uzumaki boy. The ideas of darkness, and the dead white paper flowers only flourishing in the darkness?

He would do well to crush that utterly ridiculous notion... even if it was the truth.

"Well now, I believe we have taken a bit too much enjoyment in our quiet time." Madara said calmly as he moved his way over to the area he always sat when he had a conversation with these two. "Perhaps you should inform me on the situation with Tamazaki Meshi, and if he is properly restrained in the Iwagakure's famous prison..."

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"Naruto..."

"Naruto..."

Naruto groaned as he stirred from his sleep with half opened eyes. He peered out slowly to catch sight of a female hand reaching out gently shaking his shoulder as he woke up. The female had long black silky hair. Upon further examination through blurry eyes he was slowly able to see the full image that was completed when the pink kimono with black swirls coupled with a white sash. Truthfully it was a sight all too familiar to him.

"Haku?" Naruto asked sleepily, after catching sight of the black strands falling before his face as his eyes still slowly regaining their focus after his deep sleep.

"No... but its about time you woke up..." was the first thing Uzumaki Naruto heard as he awoke from his slumber.

'That voice...' Naruto thought to himself quietly before giving a groan, he felt as if he barely had enough energy to even keep his eyes open. "The Mizukage spent the past week and a half in here not allowing you to receive visitors. It was utterly ridiculous, and I bet it was just because she-" 'I recognize that voice...' he thought to himself before letting the voice sink in for a few moments.

"Hanabi!" Naruto nearly yelled as he lunged forward to hug the white eyed girl. "I thought you weren't going to wake up... I thought I lost you." Naruto's breath was caught in his throat. It wasn't so much that he was going to lose his first close friend, even though that was a painful thought. No... it was that _he_ was the reason he would have lost his first good friend. That through his actions and being forced to rely on the cursed fox in his stomach, he would have lost his friend. "Are you okay?" Naruto asked in a quiet whisper into her ear.

Hanabi sighed to herself with a small smile and returned the hug, wrapping her arms around the injured blonde. She couldn't help but even feel a bit of amusement at the blonde's words given their current situation with him in the patient's bed. "Well while you decided to fall asleep on the job I made a full recovery." She replied cheekily, doing her best to make light of the true reality of the situation. The truth was something along the lines of 'I recovered the best I could after facing things that were known for leveling villages.'

Although while dense in the past, Naruto could read through the lines. He merely held her tighter for a short few seconds before giving a hot sigh and releasing the white eyed girl. He laid back down closing his eyes giving a yawn. He had slept for far too long, it didn't even make sense considering Kyuubi normally fixed things for him... "Do you have any idea when we can actually leave this place?"

Hanabi gave the poor blonde a pointed look that clearly stated 'I don't know, you're the leader!' however she did her best to answer. "I don't know..." she began truthfully, "Sasuke is up and moving around now. However his arm is still quite injured, and If I was the leader, I wouldn't want to be on the move with more than half of the team injured. Add that to the politics and dangers of the situation we are in-"

Naruto had been listening carefully to what Hanabi had been saying the entire time, until he did a double take on the word politics. "Wait what do you mean the politics of the situation?"

Hanabi gave a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes at the blonde. At times he could be wise, calculating, and kind. However it was obvious that part of these changes had only happened recently... judging by his utter lack of knowledge taught in the academy. "Are you serious?" she asked in a condescending tone, well practice from her time speaking to the branch members of her family.

Naruto huffed as he saw the look in her eyes, "No I was merely asking to make you stop answering my earlier question." he commented, sarcasm dripping off of every word.

Hanabi huffed lightly, although she couldn't help but smile at the blonde, a gesture that he returned. Despite the tension in the conversation it was obvious that they were more happy that both of them were doing okay. However that didn't stop Hanabi from rolling her eyes at the boy laying before her. While he was her senior, and he was one of the very few who could get under her skin, she was the one who always needed his help. "Well right now we are in a different country with the male heir and sole loyal survivor of the Uchiha clan. I am..." she took a pause as she evaluated her current situation and pursed her lips. "I am _an _heir of the Hyuuga clan... and more specifically, I lack my families caged bird seal..." she finished bitterly.

At Naruto's questioning glance at the mention of the seal, she quickly elaborated. "It does a bunch of things, but the important factor is that it pretty much prevents our bloodline from leaving Konoha if you have the seal. I don't have it." she said quickly, obviously not wanting to stay on the subject any longer. "Than judging by your performance on the Ferry... I am sure there is far more to you than meets the eye." She deadpanned with a knowing glance towards the blonde's visible stomach seal, having already been privy to one of the blonde's deepest secrets. Although it wasn't something she wanted to address out loud in a house full of foreign ninja. '_I wouldn't even bring it up in a house full of ninja of our country.'_ she added as an afterthought.

Naruto didn't acknowledge it, and merely shifted his attention somewhere else, "Alright, so when will Sasuke be healed enough to be on our way then?"

Hanabi looked uncomfortable for a moment. She knew that she hadn't taken to actually taken the time to actually look in on how Sasuke was doing. There was a long history of bad blood between the Uchiha and Hyuuga clan. Seeing the Uchiha clan wiped off of the map would only prove the superiority of Hyuuga clan. That and she cared more about Naruto, and there for was more concerned with his well being. So when one knows that the answer they would be forced to give would be one that would surely not be liked... they rely on other responses, "Do I look like a doctor to you?" She asked as she did her best to look the slightest bit angry at the boy's earlier and innocent question. She took a step back and put her hands on her hips giving her best intimidating stare before continuing, "I am not the Uchiha's caretaker. Ask the pink haired one." she was quick to respond.

Naruto didn't know whether to be surprised or or angry with how the younger girl was talking to him. However due to the current situation and the earlier information provided earlier, he knew it would be best to keep a level head. He opted to change the subject, and find out the answer to the former himself later. "I remember you healing me during the battle on the ship... how were you doing that anyways? Where did you learn to do... whatever that was?" Naruto said in a small flurry of questions quietly. It was obvious he had a thirst for knowledge, and that wanted to know more about the technique she was using. He had remembered in the academy, the prospect of chakra being used in many ways. However he didn't know that much about all of chakra's applications.

"Medical chakra?" Hanabi asked with a raised eyebrow, once again opting to look at the blonde before her with a stare that clearly stated 'Are you a moron?'

Naruto nodded calmly cursing himself ever so slightly. He had read a lot, and learned a lot over the past few months. Between his training with Mei, or browsing through various shinobi libraries. However Medical ninjutsu was the one area of information he couldn't find anything about. If there was any written information out there, it had to be scarce.

Hanabi sighed before blowing a strand of hair out of her face, opting to take a seat next to Naruto on his bed. "Medical chakra... well it is different than most ninjutsu or frankly almost every other ninja technique out there. There aren't specific names for the techniques. More so that there are just different ways you can utilize medical chakra. The concept of being a medical ninja is to utilize your own chakra's properties to heal the wounds of yourself and others. Whether that be stitching wounds back together, soothing sicknesses, or purging diseases and poisons. However it requires precise chakra control and knowledge of the human body..." she ended as if she was going off into her own mind lost in thought.

Naruto frowned, the information made sense. However... no one in his class was that advanced. So why was the Hyuuga next to him? He hadn't seen Hinata do anything like that, if she could... why hadn't she graduated sooner?

Hanabi saw the unspoken question as silence reigned between the two for a few moments. "The Hyuuga family has always been strongly urged to take up a branch of medical training during some point in their early years. Often during the academy. Whether they decide to learn acupuncture, herbal remedies, or medical chakra is typically up to them. _Even if some are more useful than others._" She added at the end with a bit of venom in her voice, as if she was thinking up something particularly nasty.

"For example, my _beloved_ sister... she decided to learn about herbal remedies... because she thinks they are incredibly useful." Hanabi took a pause as she rolled her eyes, "Even though they are completely and utterly inferior to medical chakra in every way," she finished with the slightest arrogance in her tone. "That is why I took up medical chakra training, so I can actually save my teammates during the heat of battle, and not cry over their dying bodies trying to apply some useless creams."

Naruto stayed silent after that. He could tell that Hanabi's eyes had quite the righteous glint in them, and he remembered all too well the last time he even appeared to take Hinata's side. He decided it was best he kept his mouth shut on the subject.

Seeing that no one had spoken for a good minute of silence in each others company, Naruto with a sigh slid his feet over the side of the bed. "Alright, well can you help me find Sasuke and Sakura then?" Naruto asked as he tried to stand up only to collapse down onto the floor, barely catching himself from a face dive with his two hands. The action alone caused his body to ache all over, and stirred shock in Hanabi.

Hanabi was quick to kneel down and grab on of Naruto's arms assisting him in standing up by wrapping it around her shoulder. She pursed her lips tensely at the blonde beside her. She didn't know what happened to him, but she had heard he was able to walk around freely after his encounter with the 3 tailed demon. Now Hanabi knew she was... decent at medical justu. However she was only doing her best to heal Naruto, and for that encounter she knew her best shouldn't have been enough for any normal human being. So the fact that Naruto was able to stand up and walk around after that? The fact that he was so... weak now. It was almost terrifying, to see your pillar of strength shown as being so frail. "Perhaps you should get some rest?" Hanabi said quietly. Although she wasn't entirely sure what to do with this situation regardless.

Naruto grit his teeth in pain, he was hiding it well, but that spill hurt far more than practically anything he had ever experienced. The real question was why. He had never felt so injured in his life... was this the Kyuubi's doing?

Naruto pursed his lips at the thought. He hoped not.

"I'm fine... just help me find them, I can't walk too well right now." he said in hopes of putting a rest to Hanabi's worry. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't anticipate the next step forward he took would cause him to crumble down into a sewer.

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"_Oh you can run on for a long time... run on for a long time... run on for long time... sooner or later Kami'll cut you down..."_

Naruto grit his teeth as he heard the voice sing the closer he inevitably got to the giant cage housing two of the world's fearsome tailed beasts. Naruto turned around one of the many winding halls of the murky sewer that was his mind. Sure enough he could see a perfect picture of a fiery red headed demon literally glowing as she continued to sing softly. "_You can throw your rock, and hide your hand. Working in the dark against your fellow man, but as sure as Kami made black and white. Whats done in the dark will be brought to the light._"

Naruto barely contained his sneer as he walked up to the cage that contained by far his least favorite person... ever. Although the huge gleaming smile that appeared on the woman's face from beyond the other side of the cage would make it hard to realize from anyone on the outside looking in that she hated the blonde just as much.

"Naruto..." she stated simply with a seductive smile as she pressed herself as close as possible to the cage bars. "I promise I haven't hurt your mommy." she completed with a pout. Although the amusement dancing in her eyes showed she clearly didn't care.

"Shut up bitch." Naruto was quick to reply, having no desire to be speaking to the woman.

The woman appeared taken aback for a moment before regaining her composure, "I don't know whether to be insulted at being compared to those mangy mutts that you allow to walk around on leashes like little toys. Or to be flattered knowing that you are still hurting from the last time you saw me digging my heel in to poor little mommies back?"

There was a long pause as Naruto got more tense at the mention of their last encounter. An action that caused Kyuubi to be dancing on the inside knowing that she got to the blonde. However one wouldn't be able to tell by the stony expression on the fox's face.

"Why do you want me here?" Naruto asked taking a deep breath before rubbing a hand through his hair. "Do you need something? Or should I just leave, because I have things to do, and these things are far more important than seeing your ugly mug for our hour long chats."

Kyuubi gave a grin, "Please. I know you are attracted to this form, I can smell it. Don't try to throw around ugly comments if you don't even believe in them." Kyuubi stated as she pressed herself up against her personal barrier of the cage. A few strands of hair fell in front of her face during the process, at which point she merely flicked a couple fingers. Red wispy chakra materialize out of thin air into a small visible gust of wind. It gently blew by and expertly tucked the Kyuubi's hair behind her ear, revealing a face that no one would ever try and classify as a demon. Perhaps a goddess... or a Siren... but never a demon.

"As for what I need? Oh I need a lot of things, are you willing to help me?" she said in a whisper, a hot breath going on past the bars reaching Naruto. She licked her lips, along with one of her fangs playfully. "I am sure you know I want my freedom, however you promised me you would start working that. So then I suppose that leaves the little things in life I could enjoy. So Naruto-kun? Are you willing to help me out with my needs, perhaps you can come in and allow me to know my host better? After all... I am the only one that has always been there for you." she finished with a teasing bite of her lower lip before giving the young teen an enticing stare.

Naruto to his credit was able to hold firm on the other side of the cage. There were stories throughout history of the dangers of making deals with devils. However as he stared at Kyuubi from the other side of the cage, it became quite apparent why there were such stories. He was a teenager, he was looking at women. It was just the thought in the back of his head that while the most beautiful women he had ever seen was before him, she was also the bane of his existence. A constant ticking in the back of his mind that never stopped, and was always there to irritate him.

"Perhaps you should look towards Shukaku for assistance with your... needs. For I can't help you." Naruto replied to the woman calmly as he crossed his arms across his chest.

The fox's glowing eyes danced around for a moment before the woman finally said, "As if I would ever let that raccoon touch me... but fine... I knew it." before shrugged her shoulders emphasizing it with her hands. "My host is gay... I saw it coming... you and that poor Uchiha boy. You two will probably just be doomed to come into fame and stories will be written all across the world about your homosexual relationship."

Naruto's eyes could only continue to widen as the woman before him went on. He knew he should cut the woman off before she went into any further disgusting detail between him and his male teammate. "I'm not gay." Naruto said firmly.

"No no no, of course not!" Kyuubi said waving her hands, "Where would anyone ever get that idea? Given the opportunity to lay with an already naked beautiful woman and you decline? Totally straight." she said with a roll of the eyes at the end.

Naruto scowled, "Oh so I'm obviously gay because I find the prospect of touching you utterly disgusting?" Naruto commented doing his best to retort an insult to the gay remarks.

Kyuubi laughed, "Execept for the fact that your lying! Not to mention your comment could most certainly be attributed to you being homosexual..." she finished both statements in a sing song voice. "Oh well... I guess when you are compelled to release me... I could always just take you if I want to."

Naruto merely scoffed at that idea, _'Yeah right...'_ he thought to himself with a laugh. "Hmm we shall see." he commented to humor the demon, even though he knew there was no way.

The demon ran a hand through her hair and gave a sigh as she fanned herself with her hand. "Well, while that was certainly fun I must ask. Have you made any progress on releasing me yet? I have been in here long enough." she said calmly opting to examine her crimson nails.

Naruto frowned, "No I haven't even started." Naruto replied truthfully. "I have no idea where to start on it. It isn't something I can just learn over night."

"Sure you can, take off the seal." Kyuubi quipped back in response.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing and said, "Kyuubi, I believe we are done here." He had enough on his plate. He hadn't forgotten about his deal with the fox. It was just he had more important things on his mind... such as leaving the mist as soon as possible. He turned to leave right before Kyuubi called out to him.

"Wait." she said in a quiet voice, "Come here," she continued seeing Naruto was making no move to come forward.

Naruto pursed his lips into a frown as he walked up closer to the cage that housed the shinobi world's greatest horrors. "What?" he asked in mild frustration. He didn't know how time worked in this place, but he could very well be wasting time in the actual world, something he didn't want to be doing.

Kyuubi's mouth turned stiff for a few moments as the blonde before her got literally face to face with her, showing no fear. The only thing between them were a few bars and an invisible line that neither could cross without grave consequences. However that didn't stop them from being close enough to be able to feel the other's breath or body heat. "I'm sorry about what happened to your... white eyed friend."

Naruto did a double take at the world spoken, the woman sounded sincere. "Come again?" Naruto asked clearly not sure he heard things correctly.

Kyuubi's sincere look took less than a second to turn into a venomous scowl, "I am not saying it again. You can leave now!"

Surprise was all Naruto could register at the demon fox's one-eighty mood swings. "Alright fine, but why?"

Kyuubi rolled her eyes with a snarl as she crossed her arms over her chest before she gestured to the typical exit of his mind. It was obvious the female fox no longer wanted to continue the conversation. However... as Naruto walked back to the edge of his mindscape, he couldn't help but play the image of Kyuubi over in his mind. Or at least more specifically one key detail about the image.

_The odd vulnerability that looked almost out of place in her eyes._

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"Naruto! Naruto!" Hanabi kept shaking Naruto in a bit of a panic. The boy had just crumpled to the floor and started to shake and began to burn up in temperature. Naturally one would be worried for their friends health after being bedridden for so long, only for them to collapse the moment they get out of bed for the first time. However this moment of worry and panic was quickly drowned out by a light smile and amusement.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked in surprise as he saw the young Hyuuga holding him on the ground with worry in her eyes.

Hanabi gave a light laugh as she tapped his chest, "I'm fine Naruto."

Naruto searched her eyes for a moment but finally shrugged. He brushed her hand off his chest as he stood up albeit at first on slightly shaky legs. He wiped off a bit of sweat that had come on his forehead from the strain of being dragged forcefully into his mind. He straightened himself up as Hanabi spoke to him.

"Perhaps it isn't such a good idea for you to be out and about right now. Maybe you should rest for a couple more days?" Hanabi suggested hoping the blonde would see it her way. However it was to no avail.

"Rest?" He scoffed at the idea as he finished straightening himself, idly noting the tattoos all over his arm. "You kidding me? I gotta meet up with our team. Sasuke is probably complaining about me sleeping on the job or the fact that he isn't a chunin now. Or something like that." he waved his hand dismissively. "So lets put that Byakugan of yours to work and find those two." Naruto finished with a grin as he walked out of the room he had been in the majority of their stay.

Hanabi shook her head and sighed. The blonde had too much energy for someone who was just violently attacked by a missing ninja. He acted as if it was an every day occurrence or something. She stepped out of the room and activated her Byakugan, only to catch Naruto already walking down the hall. Luckily towards the courtyard of the compound where Sasuke and Sakura were both currently located. Hanabi's gaze stayed on Sasuke's form just slightly longer then Sakura's before she frowned and followed after the blonde. She had more interesting things that she could allow to play through her mind instead of the Uchiha survivor. _'Like who's Haku?'_

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"You don't understand Sakura..." the black haired Uchiha continued in their conversation under the shade of several trees. "You don't know how this feels. That is my reason..." Sasuke finished with conviction.

The pink haired female at this point was teary eyed from their entire conversation, "But I want to understand! You act like no one understands you and that no one can possibly be there for you. Yet you don't try to help them understand. I want to understand what you are going through Sasuke-kun." Sakura finished, her voice weak from the direction their conversation had taken since it began.

Sasuke didn't respond for a tense few moments as he silently considered what the girl beside him was saying. That was at least until a pain shot through his shoulder that made his vision blur due to it's intensity. Sasuke gripped his shoulder in pain as he grit his teeth, "Fine!" he ground out through his teeth. "You saw this seal before Sakura, probably more than anyone we know. You have seen what it does to me. However why you can't understand this... this pain is because you don't have it. Your darkest thoughts, your worst memories, your deepest fears all brought to the surface of your mind. Every time I try to fight I have to battle between protecting my friends, all the while fighting against these urges? Or I let them take control, and I can lose myself. I can't even sleep Sakura, every time I try and sleep it is just constant whispers in the back of my mind telling me things that I don't want to hear."

Sakura was silent. She was happy that Sasuke was opening up to her, but on the other hand... she never knew it was this bad.

"I never say it Sakura... but I do care." Sasuke commented silently. "It is just... I can't care too much. Everyone I have ever cared about, everyone I have ever loved has either been killed... or betrayed me. My brother..." Sasuke paused as if he was preparing to spit out the most disgusting substance from his mouth, "Itachi... He was strong enough to kill every single member of my family in a single night. It was as if it was effortless the way he cut down people, his own flesh and blood. However the worst part of all was he was able to defeat every single one, all without being detected by a single person in Konoha. That is just a level of skill unheard of in the shinobi world. He told me that he would come for the people I care about... and the people I care about will never be safe until I seek my revenge." Sasuke took a deep breath as he looked up at the leaves above them, lost in thought.

"Yeah but Sasuke... you said you care about us, well look around. We are all still here." Sakura began, trying to reason with the black haired boy.

Sasuke shook his head, "No Sakura, that's just it. You are here for now... yet Naruto was attacked by my brother already." A shadow cast over Sasuke's face as he dipped his head down. Balling his fists he continued, "He didn't even come for me, all this time I couldn't even know if he was alive. I could have lived my life chasing a ghost. No he went for Naruto one of the very few people I care about. That is why I need to get stronger Sakura. And h-"

"But you don't need to do this! This Sasuke could get you killed. You don't even know what the man's plans are!" Sakura cried out, rather loud considering the boy was beside her. However she didn't care. Warm tears trickled down her face as her hands gripped at her clothes whilst she sat on her knees.

Sasuke frowned, "Well I don't have much of a choice." Sasuke sighed with a weak smile as he thought over his current situation. "It is a bit funny though I have to admit..." he commented, sharing one of the few smiles the boy ever gave anyone. "Growing up I doubt many people knew this..." he began as he looked around carefully for anyone listening in, "Naruto and I used to see each other all the time. Every day after school he would pass by a bridge my father taught me fire ninjutsu." he chuckled a bit as he recalled the memories. "I used to always think it would be interesting to get to know him. However the academy came along, and I achieved the top of the class and Naruto was at the bottom of the class. Our rivalry was always so tense back then, he used to always say me and him were a lot alike. Naturally I thought this was ridiculous particularly after Itachi. I always told myself he would never know about revenge, he was just some kid who thought he could make it to being Hokage without ever trying."

Sasuke's pause opted for Sakura to speak up. "There is a 'but' in there somewhere right?" she questioned, snapping the Uchiha out of his memories.

"But looking back then and comparing it to now..." Sasuke looked almost slightly ashamed, "He's surpassed me. Not only in skill, but he grew up to be a shinobi. The Yondaime once said that our job as shinobi of Konoha is to protect those we care about to leave behind a better and brighter future. I have lived my life wanting revenge Sakura... Revenge without a deeper purpose. Yet... now I find myself no longer desiring revenge without a purpose, but instead desiring revenge so I can know that the people I care about are safe." Sasuke shook his head, "The problem is I will never be able to reach that potential here in Konoha."

"But you don't know that Sasuke. You can't pretend to know what lies around the corner. Your brother, while you may hate him for what he did, he got stronger in Konoha. You don't need to leave to reach your full potential. People will miss you if you leave." Sakura tried to reason with her crush.

Sasuke gave a weak smile at the girl beside him. They both knew that wouldn't be the case. "Maybe people would miss me... I'm the last survivor of the Uchiha Clan. However the people that would genuinely miss me as a person? I can count them on one hand Sakura."

Silence reigned between the two of them at the cold hard truth of the situation. It was true, most wouldn't even bat an eyelash at Sasuke leaving. He was rude and cold to everyone, even those that cared about him. It would be hard to find someone who genuinely cares under those circumstances.

"Sakura..." Sasuke began slowly as he adjusted his arm that currently rested in a sling. "I appreciate your concern, but I have to go. While someone like Naruto may do fine here protecting his precious people. I can't protect the people I care about until I grow strong enough to defeat my brother. I'm sorry... Sakura." Sasuke finished quietly.

Sakura looked down to her hands clenching her pants in her lap. Tear drops streamed down her face knowing she could very well be losing someone close to her whom was irreplaceable. She mumbled something quietly that nearly went unheard by Sasuke.

"What was that Sakura?" Sasuke asked, surprised she could mumble something so quiet that he couldn't hear her from being right next to her. However he didn't expect what happened next.

Sakura slammed her hand on Sasuke's chest, an action that caused him to fall back onto the grass seeing as how he didn't have both hands to catch him in the surprise. "Then take my with you Sasuke!" Sakura cried to herself as she got over Sasuke, forcing him to not get up. "Ever since our time at the academy Sasuke, I have liked you. You know that! Now you save me from being raped at the chunin exams, you Sasuke became more than just some silly crush to me. You are my hero. Now... these past few weeks... I've loved them. For the first time since we have ever met..." She hung her head in sadness, "You started to pay attention to me. You started to look out for me... spend time with me... you even allowed me to stay over at your house some nights. You never would have done that for me in the past." Sakura took a deep breath before sighing heavily, "Yet now, I have finally gotten you to open up to me, and you want to leave me... alone. No I wont let you." She emphasized that by hitting the poor Uchiha on the chest lightly again and again as she repeated "I wont let you... I wont."

Sasuke sighed as the young pink haired girl stopped. She was straddling his waist pinning him to the ground, her pink hair cascading down like curtains around his face. Wet tears fell down onto his cheeks and reminded him just how much Sakura had been there for him.

"You always act like you need to take all your burdens alone Sasuke, but you don't. I can help you, I can go with you. Just let me." Sakura cried weakly to herself above the black haired boy. "I love you Sasuke..." she finished in a quiet whisper. How fragile she looked didn't even begin to show how fragile she felt.

Sasuke sighed as he let everything his pink haired friend had said sink in. It took awhile, they even sat in silence for a few minutes before Sasuke swallowed... whether it be his spit or his pride was still playing through his head. "Fine... you can come, but your must not tell a soul Sakura." Sasuke's voice morphed into one of absolute seriousness. "I want to try leave some time during this mission since we are already out of the village like this. It will be far easier to escape from Naruto than it would be to escape from a squad of Anbu or Jounin."

"By the way I beat you around like you were some handicap shinobi in the exams, I imagine you trying to run from me would be impossible." called out the voice of Naruto from the tree above the couple on the ground. Surely soon enough, Hanabi walked out from behind the tree as well. The silence that followed was tense to say the least.

Sasuke Narrowed his eyes, and shrugged Sakura off of him quickly, "How much did you hear?" Sasuke asked coldly staring up at Naruto silently wishing his arm wasn't still damaged so he could actually stand a chance in a fight right now.

Naruto said nothing and rested his chin on his palm as he gave out a sigh. Hanabi prompted to answer, "We've heard enough Uchiha." the white eyed girl said distastefully. "Apparently being traitors is family quality." she added as an afterthought. A comment that caused Sasuke to growl in frustration.

However instead of letting the girl see the comment effected him more than he had already shown, Sasuke shrugged. "I will be sure to send you a 'Get Well Soon' card when you receive the caged bird seal when your sister turns 16." Sasuke shot back to the white eyed girl before turning his attention back to Naruto, the real threat in this situation.

Hanabi crossed her arms over her chest, contemplating whether she would get in trouble if she rendered the Uchiha's other arm useless. She knew she probably deserved some kind of retort after the traitor comment, but it didn't help that he was right. If she went home she would be receiving the caged bird seal the moment she walked through the door. Hanabi's expression severely soured at that thought.

Naruto spent a good deal of time staring at Sakura instead of Sasuke. More specifically the scar the girl had gained on her cheek. Sure he may not have all of the details of the encounter, but he could put pieces together. Naruto couldn't help but frown realizing that Sakura had been hurt, his former crush, and had to be saved by Sasuke. Perhaps if he had stuck around her... his life would be simpler. No problems with Kyuubi. Never meeting Rin. Never being as intimately close to Mei. No Shukaku. In fact it may have been his waist getting straddled by Sakura a few moments ago instead of Sasuke. '_Oh how times have changed..._' Naruto thought to himself with a frown as he stopped looking at Sakura in order to not make the situation any more uncomfortable than it already was.

Naruto looked down at the two before scoffing lightly, an action that caused the duo to tense seeing as how Naruto had yet to say a word. Naruto looked directly at Sasuke's still relatively mangled up arm before looking the two in the eyes. "So you two are trying to leave the village... under my watch?" Naruto asked, but truthfully after overhearing the conversation. Everyone knew it was a rhetorical question. That was why the duo's blood ran cold when Naruto dropped down from the tree staring directly at Sasuke's arm before locking eyes with them, "You can try." he said in mild amusement.

However before the two original members of team seven could retort a comment, a single voice carried across the area. "And naturally Naruto-kun, try they shall. However I am in need of borrowing your Uchiha friend for now." Mei said calmly as she walked into the circle of teenagers. "I believe he can help me with something." Mei calmly stated as she locked eyes with the black haired boy.

Naruto frowned at his former sensei, but quickly hid it under a look of distaste. "Why not just have one of your many sla-"

"Subordinates, Naruto." she interjected reminding the blonde jinchuriki as she could already tell where he was going with the comment.

"Oh right, well they are the same thing to you so lets not beat the dead horse." Naruto growled through his teeth as he turned away from the woman. "Sasuke as your squad leader, I am directly ordering you not to go with this woman." Naruto said bitterly. She could go find her help elsewhere.

The Uchiha looked to both of the people who were pulling him around like a child with a toy doll. However he knew by the looks on both of their faces that there was a far deeper encounter going on between the Mizukage and Uzumaki Naruto. This fact didn't go unnoticed by the two female members of the team either.

"Uchiha..." Mei began as she gave a pointed gaze up towards the blonde as if she wasn't even addressing the Uchiha survivor. "If you have any intention of hoping my medics heal your arm, you best come with me now," the woman threatened. The threat worked. Everyone was on edge at that, except for Naruto. While he didn't know the particulars of the injury, the other teammates knew quite well that without consistent medical attention Sasuke's arm could very well be rendered useless permanently.

Naruto on the other hand was just gritting his teeth at the fact the woman who he used to call a sensei was after another one of his teammates. What if she tried to do something, or worse injured them? "I'll go in Sasuke's place." Naruto stated calmly as he gave the blue garbed woman a pointed look, however the wicked grin that came to her face when he mentioned that, he didn't like one bit.

"Oh Naruto-kun... while I'm flattered you want to help me. This is a job only Sasuke can do I'm afraid." she gave Naruto a look of mock disappointment, if not the slightest bit of amusement in her eyes. "However I promise I will return him unharmed, and there is no need to be jealous."

Naruto clenched his fists as he stared across towards the older woman. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but everyone could see blatantly what he felt about the situation. Particularly about the jealousy comment.

Mei knew she had won the argument and turned on a great bright smile which Naruto resisted the urge to scoff at. He knew the smile was fake, just as he was starting to become convinced that every single bit about the woman was fake. "Come on Sasuke-kun, I want to show you something and maybe you could help me out with it." she said almost flirtatiously. If anyone had seen her talk like that to a random teen on the street, one may have had her thrown in jail purely for the body language she expressed during the statement.

Naruto grit his teeth as he began to walk off. "Fine, go ahead. I don't care." Naruto called back to the group waving his hand dismissively. He didn't want to stick around longer than he had to, particularly consider Mei had be all accounts won their most recent encounter. The only thing sticking around would get him would be opportunities for the older woman to gloat. Perhaps he could just take his mind off of - _**"All of the corrupting thing she teaches poor Sasuke-kun while the two of them are alone helping her with something only he can help her with?"**_ Naruto grit his teeth at one of the few times Kyuubi's taunts were able to penetrate through to the surface of his mind. Naruto closed his eyes as he turned briskly down a hallway, doing his very best to get out of the giant mansion that was the Mizukage's house. Perhaps he could just train and push the thoughts of Mei and Sasuke from his mind for the rest of the day...

Not Likely...

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A bit of a longer chapter than I am typically used to. I didn't really know where to end it. Chapters are taking longer to get out for this story than expected because the Mist part of the story, while required, I also find very very very boring in contrast to the next Arc I could be writing. So it just drags unfortunately.

I felt some Sasuke and Sakura information was a bit overdue. Naturally some people were able to guess what happened to Sakura right off of the bat. However I never clarified, so some people were left guessing. I don't know if I will ever actually implement a flashback to that time or not, but at least now you know why Sakura has gone through the slightest changes and there is that rift in team 7. (Mostly due to the fact that Naruto and Hanabi have been bonding as have Sasuke and Sakura.)

I decided to implement Kyuubi in this chapter as well. Being honest Kyuubi and Rin both will have bigger roles in the future, but they are also two characters that aren't actually tied down to a location. For example if Ino was a big part of this story, if Naruto was all the way out in Mist it would make sense for the readers to not see Ino for awhile regardless of if they want to or not. However Rin and Kyuubi both have been depicted as characters that are sort of "Don't worry we will come to you if we need to talk" blah blah blah. So it is a bit tough to space out when they should appear, and how often etc etc etc.

Anyways I hope to wrap up the Mist in 2 chapters, it is so irritating to write at times.

Anyways more inspiration was drawn by the amazing one shot "Where Even Paper Can Flourish" for the scene with Madara.

All in all any characters/names that I am introducing to the story, you can be sure will be making appearances again later. Example being: Meshi Tamazaki, Konan, Nagato, Madara. Etc etc etc.

Lastly: Hanabi as I sure you all have must realized will be having a bigger role in this story than most. My problem is that I don't know exactly where I want her to fit in combat wise. I don't want her to be the cookie cutter Hyuuga that uses just Jyuuken to fight. I want her to stand out a bit, hence already knowing some basic medical jutsu. So if you guys can think of any interesting fighting styles Hanabi may adapt(realistic, no rituals or anything crazy like legendary swords). I am all ears.


	21. The Turning Point

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Sorry for the wait.

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"What! You can't be serious..." disbelief... disbelief and anger summed up every emotion running through the young swordswoman's body as she was forcefully restrained by two Iwagakure shinobi.

Silence reigned the dark room the group resided in. The walls gave the people in the immediate vicinity the feeling of residing in a cave. Truthfully Iwagakure architecture wasn't that far off from that of your standard caveman. The buildings being carved into the colossal mountains that were in an abundance in the land of rock.

Several shinobi resided in the room, many standing around one long table that extended nearly all the way across the moderate sized room. If one were to peer into the darkness, they may have been able to make out the small form of a man. A man who had a head nearly the size of his body. To the average person, they would more than likely think the man looked absolutely ridiculous. However to someone with general knowledge of the shinobi world, they would realize that in regards to the diminutive man? Size matters not.

"I have worked for this village for the majority of my life! I have been completely loyal, and now you want to arrest me? On what grounds?" no the women certainly wasn't happen with her current situation. In fact this level of an emotional display from her was in fact quite rare. If the shinobi scattered amongst the room had a way to record the young swordswoman's outburst, they would be documenting this encounter.

"That you have Rei. However you are also not a born resident of this village. In fact, as I am sure you know, everyone has their uses. You have undoubtedly gathered some of the very best results during your freelance career. In fact, you were the only person alive to this day that was able to apprehend Meshi Tamazaki and successfully return him to our prison. So natur-"

"So what? My reward is being sent to that very prison?" Rei spat out distastefully, struggling against her human restraints.

There was a huff of amusement from the small shadowy figure that was formerly speaking. "_Girl"_ the man taunted. "Where do you think we are? Konoha? You will show more respect when you speak to me." A tense silence followed that statement. No one was even thinking of speaking out of turn considering how everyone could literally feel the oppressive tension weighing down on everyone in the room. No one even wanted to breath out of turn it was so heavy.

"You have a fantastic track record Rei, twenty-seven missing ninja, all returned alive. Ranging from stray chunin to A rank missing ninja. Even to your most notable S-rank capture of Meshi Tamazaki. How you even managed that at such a young age is beyond me. However Rei perhaps you did not think of the consequences of your actions when you went off gallivanting around the nations without the permission of other nations. Did you really have the audacity to think that other countries would be perfectly fine with you coming and going as you please, hunting missing ninja with the possibility for their people to get caught in the crossfire?" The short man took pause to gauge the young girl's reaction for a moment.

"I don't believe you did," he continued. "There is a saying Rei... it dates back far before even the historical Sage of the Six Paths. The saying is 'If you give a person an inch, they will take a mile' and I am afraid Rei that you took far more than that. So now you have put me in a tough position. I will either have to own up to you working actively for my country..." he paused to gauge the young woman's reaction. "Or I can in turn put you in prison."

Rei's eyes narrowed as he entire body stiffened. She was preparing herself to fight her way out of the current situation if need be.

"You see... look at you." the small man shook his head. "Tense, and defensive. While rightfully so, while you want to admit it or not you know I will not be able to release you back into society with the knowledge you know now. You have attracted too much attention to yourself Rei. This mission you went on after Tamazaki? You were supposed to die. The fact that you made it back alive only further proves the council elders points of you becoming a threat. It is a shame too... you showed such promise."

Rei was seething in rage. She hated herself for it, one who prided themselves on being calm and collected at even the most chaotic of times. Yet here she was about to be arrested for doing her job too well? The idea was utterly ridiculous.

"I'm sorry." was the quiet reply of the leader of Iwagakure before two guards approached Rei from the sides of the room intending to restrain her.

Rei grit her teeth as she watched the Iwa shinobi approach her with cuffs. If looks could kill, the would have dropped dead in an instant. Yet for Rei, time slowed down. Every step that each guard took, ever tap of their feet moving across the ground resounded with a clock ticking in her mind. Every moment, she realized sooner and sooner her freedom was going to be taken away. A drastic thing for when the only thing she knew she had ever obtained in life was her freedom. So without further wait, she threw caution to the wind.

She charged the leader of Iwa with a battle cry as she drew a wooden katana off her back. In an instant the wooden blade was engulfed in flames. She may not have been the greatest shinobi in history, the two chunin that ran at her in hopes to intercept her path before reaching the Tsuchikage were batted away like cannon fodder.

Iwa's special operations however were far more deadly as the moved to intercept the young woman. Although amidst all of the chaos, one with a clear mind would have to ask 'Is it really worth it?'. The Tsuchikage sat in the back of the room, still unmoving watching the display before him. He had seen his chunin be effortlessly beaten down like cannon fodder. He had seen one of the multiple Anbu take a sweeping kick that was followed up by a flaming sword slamming into the while porcelain like mask. There was likely no permanent damage.

The young warrior had been able to arc her flaming blade to whip out dissuading many from charging into combat head on. Although of course that may very well be due to the fact that the Tsuchikage remained completely and utterly unmoving turning the whole encounter. That was until Rei had finally reached striking distance of the small, hardly intimidating man.

She swung fiercely in an arc that would have cleaved the poor old man in half, if it weren't for the fact that everyone in the room suddenly realized just how much stronger the man who had been formerly sitting down was.

Rei was panting with a glare in her eyes as she stared at the old man. Her sword was now effectively pinned to the table, the old man standing on it, his legs since having turned to stone. The leader of Iwa shook his head with a sigh, "And you had shown such promise. However after this display, I am sure you must realize this is my best course of action." he stated calmly before closing his eyes.

The effect was instantaneous. Rei rocketed to the other side of the room due to a giant mallet forming out of thin air slammed against her entire body. The Tsuchikage's voice floated across the room to his fallen opponent as he spoke, "Perhaps next time you choose to bare your fangs at me, you should put the toys away and fight with real weapons." The man said gesturing to the wooden blade laying at her feet, and the real katana located at her waist.

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Naruto shook his head with a sigh as he sat up in a tall tree overlooking a small pond. "You are going to need to do better than that." Naruto commented in a condescending tone, his voice carrying across the vicinity.

"What the hell do you mean I'm going to have to do better than that? I was doing perfectly fine hours ago, and you didn't say a thing. You are only making comments now because you're winning!" An angry Hyuuga yelled back as she stood on top of the pond squaring off against several blonde's. "You haven't even made a move to teach me anything, to keep your part of the deal. The past three days, you have just dragged me out here and had me fight against your clones for hours on ends. No techniques..." She stopped her rant as she had to parry a barrage of incoming attacks from multiple clones. "No instruction. You just tell me to fight them... all the while you just sit in the shade and read!" she finished yelling angrily as she broke the leg of an incoming clone with a vicious plam strike forcing it to disperse.

Naruto didn't say anything, in turn opting to just sit back with an amused smile on his face. He kept his hands in the seal for the shadow clone technique, continually producing clones that would make their way out on the pond to confront the Hyuuga. He continued to thoroughly read the scroll that resided in his hands, ignoring the angry yells of the young Hyuuga out on the water. He knew that he should give her more specific training, particularly after the help she had given him over the past few days. The prospect that one of the believed to be greatest techniques in the world was in reality just a small combination of multiple techniques. Multiple techniques that were simply, and easy to learn. All he had to do from now on was improve on the speed of the techniques, and he could mimic the famed speed of Salamander Hanzo.

Naruto smirked to himself at the thought. He continued to glance over various parts of the scroll. He must have read it over four or five times that day. Yet he wanted to know everything about it. Sealing, such a valuable subject and yet he highly doubted anyone in Konoha would even let him be within ten paces of scrolls with sealing knowledge. The prospect of him coming to an understanding of Kyuubi's seal, and possibly learning to free it? That would be far too big of a risk. Konoha would probably find it better for him to remain ignorant to the subject.

Yet countries away, across oceans? He could read the scrolls from the Mizukage's private library without disturbance.

"Naruto... Hanabi is right is some regard, we have been out here all day, every day. There is supposed to be a festival in town, perhaps we can take a break?"

Mostly without disturbance.

Naruto sighed as he folded the scroll over in his lap and looked down towards his pink haired teammate. It wasn't the first time she had brought this subject up, and he doubted it would be the last. "How many times do you want to go over this Sakura?" Naruto asked in mild irritation. "She may not notice it now perhaps, but in my opinion it is probably one of the best ways she could ever train."

Sakura kept her mouth shut for the moment as she stood below Naruto in silence. However as the silence carried on for several minutes of watching Hanabi, she had to voice her opinion. "I don't see how this is helping her much Naruto. You aren't giving her any instruction, and even the minimal instruction you have given her is vague at best." Sakura said calmly while wincing as she watched Hanabi take a vicious right hook to the cheek.

Naruto pursed his lips as he looked out onto the water towards Hanabi. A similar situation of the past flooding into his mind.

_"How is this going to help me win the tournament? For the past two days I have come here just so you can summon clones and kick the shit out of me!" Naruto whined as he held an ice pack to his cheek. "The only thing I am learning is how many bruises I can get on my body before they heal." Naruto finished bitterly._

_A soft heart warming laugh was the response, one that diffused a grand portion of Naruto's former anger. "You don't get it at all... do you?" the woman asked with a smile as she went to sit down next to the blonde._

_Naruto grit he teeth despite the pain he was feeling all over. 'Is she seriously mocking me after all of this?' Naruto clenched his fist before taking a deep breath trying to calm himself down._

_"Naruto, what have you learned while fighting me?" the woman asked calmly as she gently rubbed his sore back._

_Naruto growled out, "That you don't want to teach me anything, you just want to kick the shit out of me."_

_Another soft laugh followed by a heart warming smile was the response he gained. "Naruto... you will understand in time that what I am teaching you right now is far better than any jutsu, or secret technique you wish to learn. You will realize that in time these past couple days will be the most valuable training you will have taken in the past two months," the female said in a whisper._

_Naruto scoffed at the notion, "Yeah right Mei..." Naruto shook his head at how ridiculous her statement seemed, "And I will become best friends with the Kyuubi." Naruto finished, knowing that would never happen._

_Mei smiled weakly and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder and pulled him close to her for a few moments, "Like I said, with time... you will understand."_

_Naruto didn't reply._

"You're wrong Sakura." Naruto said as he looked over the lack towards Hanabi whom had a fierce determination in her eye. "This training was taught to me by someone, and is probably the best training lesson I have ever taken." Naruto said quietly not liking he was admitting that about the Mizukage.

"What?" Sakura questioned in mild surprise. "But look at h-" she was cut off as Naruto's voice carried over her's.

"Look at her Sakura... what do you see? Naruto questioned as he gazed softly across the water.

"Your clones abusing our newest teammate," Sakura replied bitterly.

Naruto shook his head with a smile seeing how similar her answer was to his in the past. "Before me I see the best lesson any shinobi can be taught. The ability to stand against overwhelming odds. The fact that Hanabi is out there, and has been out there these past few days fighting. She may have been getting kicked around before, but slowly but surely she adapted. She was faced against multiple opponents superior to her in skill, and experience. Simply put, this exorcise gives Hanabi combat experience against shinobi of superior skill and overwhelming odds."

Sakura took pause after the brief speech before looking out across the water with a different outlook. "I guess... so who was it that taught you this training method?"

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"Mei I have been doing my best." a young male growled out in frustration.

"Surely Sasuke-kun... you can do better than this." was the voice of the Mizukage as she held up two pieces of paper against the light. She peered at the both closely frowning occasionally.

"You say that every time I finish a copy..." Sasuke commented quietly with a roll of the eyes as he gently massaged his healing arm.

Mei didn't respond to the comment if she heard it. "Hmmm..." she sounded off, "Alright I suppose this one is good enough."

Sasuke perked up when he heard the female Kage beside him say that, "Wait it is? So you will help me then?" Sasuke asked, a bit too eager, but did his best to not let it show. Although 'his best' wasn't enough when in the presence of the older woman.

Mei gave a heart warming smile before wrapping a single arm around Sasuke. She pulled him close into a hug that caused the young male to press quite firmly into the woman's chest. The action alone made the last Uchiha flush in embarrassment. '_Teenage boys... and their hormones...' _Mei thought to herself with a small smile as she watched the boy grow considerably red. "I suppose I can help you then..." She said with a heavy sigh that served to leave her hot breath on the back of his neck. The very action gave the young teen chills.

She slowly released the young man and rubbed his back lightly before stating, "Go see the medics Sasuke-kun. You deserve it. I will see to helping you with your other problem shortly." she said calmly as she dismissed the Uchiha survivor. The boy took a few moments for what she said to register before he curtly nodded his head and left the room.

Mei in the mean time had taken to scanning over the paper in her hand with a sigh. '_I suppose it is the best I could hope for...'_ she thought sadly as she dropped into a near by chair. She carelessly tossed the paper onto the desk beside her, kicking her feet onto the edge of the desk as her hand covered her face massaging the bridge of her nose.

Yet just when Mei finally thought she was going to get the slightest bit of silence, it was broken by her secretary coming into the room. "Terumi-sama, you are required to attend the festival. You will be needed on the stage in ten."

Mei sighed as she merely waved with her free hand, just to tell her secretary that she acknowledged the woman's statement, even if she had no desire to attend the festival. Mei turned her head slowly, glancing out the window to gaze over her village. She stayed in that position for a good couple minutes before a frown set in on her face as her mind wandered through her thoughts. She quietly made her way out of her office to perform her duties to the village.

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"I can't believe you convinced him to let us go." A young Hyuuga said dryly as she and her pink haired teammate made their way down the street. It wasn't that she was excited for the festival, it was more that she was just happy to have a break from training. To say her body was sore all over would be an understatement.

Sakura merely giggled a bit, covering her mouth with her hand as she did so. "To be honest I am a bit surprised he let us go," Sakura commented sincerely.

Hanabi's curiosity was peaked. She couldn't say she had known Naruto for a long time. Yet if how he trained was any way to judge his character in regards to social situations. The young man never compromised. Hanabi found it hard to imagine the fact that Sakura let them have a break was an actual surprise. "Oh? How so?" Hanabi asked, doing her best to sound casual about it.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders for a moment as they weaved through the crowd together. "Well at first it seemed like he wasn't going to let us go at all. Yet I asked him where the training method, the way he was teaching you came from. However when I did that, he sort of closed up and just said that we could go off and take a break if we wanted to. I dragged you along because I assumed you would like a break after all of the training you have been doing." Sakura said with a grin as the turned down a street of the festival, paying mind to all of the various stands selling their goods.

Hanabi however could only smile weakly at her pink haired teammate. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but it was awkward being in the older girl's presence after knowing of the plans she and the Uchiha were plotting. Yet more importantly for Hanabi, just how appealing those plans sounded.

"I think part of the reason he may have let us go is simply because for quite a while, Naruto has had a bit of a crush on me," Sakura said quietly with a small smile. Hanabi did a double take on her teammate when that was announced. Hanabi couldn't help herself from subconsciously clenching her fists at the prospect.

"Oh?" Hanabi asked, trying to hide her feelings on the matter. "And you still think he feels that way?" Hanabi asked pointedly, taking the lead on their tour around town forcefully by turning down another corner.

Sakura raised both of her eyebrows in a moment of surprise before quickly collecting herself, "Umm... I don't know I would imagine so, why?" Sakura said, surprised at the fact she was getting questioned over the subject. If anything had been constant the past six years, it was Naruto's crush on her, and everyone knew about it. It was hard to believe he would ever change after that long.

Hanabi subtly gave Sakura a glance before saying, "I doubt he has a crush on you anymore." upon Sakura's look of surprise Hanabi continued, "He has probably moved on, it would be best that you do so as well." Hanabi said calmly, doing her best to hide her intentions.

Yet hiding ones intentions from the female intuition is considerably hard. "Oh? And where are you getting this information _Hanabi_, perhaps from the night you spent in his tent?" Sakura asked, a level of hostility coming out of her voice. "You barely even know him, so don't pretend to act like you know what Naruto wants!" Sakura yelled at the younger girl, before widening her eyes and composing herself as to not attract any more attention from those around.

Hanabi turned to the pink haired girl in an instant, and pinned her up against the wall suddenly with her Byakugan activated. "I know Naruto far more than you or that traitor Uchiha ever will."

Sakura grabbed the Hyuuga girl at the wrist, and intended to push the girl off of her with one clean blow. Yet she was thoroughly surprised when her actions failed and she realized just how deceptively strong the younger girl before her was.

"I don't like you or that Uchiha you think is the love of your life. I was a year below you, and had to watch your class graduate. So many... so many pathetic excuses for Kunoichi graduating, while I had to wait longer simply because you were older. My sister's teammates told me all about your battle in the exams. You are a joke. I bet you don't even know where Naruto lives, and yet you claim you know him better than me? And frankly even if you did, I doubt you knew the slightest damn thing about him." Hanabi scoffed, and removed her arm from the pinned pink haired girl. "If you go traitor with the Uchiha... you wont be missed." Hanabi said slowly leveling a glare at the pink haired shinobi.

Sakura clenched her teeth as she watched the Hyuuga quickly make off after her statement. At first her thoughts were hostile, along the lines of '_What does she know about anything?'_ Yet her mood became somber as she realized, '_She's right...' Sakura thought to herself, 'I don't know much about him at all...'  
_

She was broken from her thoughts as she heard the voice of Sasuke cut through the crowd, "Sakura, come with me, I need to talk to you about something."

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Hanabi turned the corner away from the pink haired shinobi at an impressive pace, happy with how she handled herself in the previous situation. Yet the further and further she walked, the more and more her thoughts began to weigh on her heart.

Sakura and Sasuke wanted to betray Konoha, their village. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to stop them out right, and it was slowly but surely becoming evident to her as to why. While sheltered, Hanabi wasn't completely ignorant. '_Not like my sister...'_ She thought to herself bitterly. She had heard a few sayings here and there. A few speeches given to her from elders or academy teachers. Yet most of these things Hanabi had forever written off. Yet there was one thing she had heard, oddly enough from a homeless trader that was currently eating at the pit of her stomach.

The reason why she knew she couldn't oppose Sakura and Sasuke was simply that, they were trying to run away from "Home". What the homeless man had told her was "Home is where the heart is", even going on to state that "The worst feeling in the world is the home sickness that occasionally comes over a man when he is at 'home'."

It was hard to desire to force others to go back to a place that you yourself don't even want to return to. The more Hanabi thought about it, the worse it got. '_What do I have to go back to? The caged bird seal? The branch family? Slavery...'_

Hanabi bit her lip. "Home" was no longer the place she could call home. Yet as she went through her life, eliminating the connections she had to her family. She suddenly found herself lacking nearly any connections at all. Except her connection to Naruto...

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"Please Manami-san, you know I don't belong in here! I've done nothing wrong." purple hair cast a shadow over the young woman's face as she pleaded with the older woman who had her restrained.

"My apologies Rei, but my duty is to my Kage." Manami said calmly, if not through a pained voice.

"You were my ally..." Rei said in disbelief, "I saved your life..." she commented slowly. "Now you talk about duty? What about the duty to your friends? Doesn't that mean anything to you?" long gone was the strong bounty hunter that stood straight against the Kage of Iwagakure. Now what stood in Rei's shoes was merely a shadow of her former self, a defeated version of herself.

Manami took a deep breath and looked away from her former ally, "For what it counts, I'm sorry. Yet... whats done is done. I can't change that."

Rei had a look of anger grow on her face as she looked between the woman and then a large doorway. "Can't or wont?" Rei bit back harshly. She shook her head roughly once to get the hair out of her face, leaving her standing straight. Her hands resided at her front in shackles, as were her ankles.

Manami didn't respond, she merely pushed open the door and ushered Rei inside.

Rei kept her head up as she walked down the long hall way, past countless jail cells. She did her best to ignore the hushed whispers, and some of the more blatant remarks that were sent her way as she walked.

_"Hey is that Rei? The bounty hunter?"_

_"Hehehe she is so fucked..."_

_"The Tsuchikage should have just killed the girl if he sent her here."_

_"Oh apparently Iwagakure sent us presents boys."  
_  
Rei pursed her lips as she heard some of the comments as she was guided out towards a lunch area. Upon arriving there Mei turned to Manami, "You can't leave me here..." Rei said as she struggled to look around to the sights around her.

Manami shook her head with a sigh and took a single wrist band out from her back pocket. She slapped it over Rei's wrist before softly locking it in place. "For what it counts... I'm sorry." the warden said weakly as she took her keys and unshackled the metal restraints. "I can only hope that they aren't too rough with you."

Upon Manami's departure, Rei stood amidst a sea of criminals looking on in disgust. The area was filled with men and women of all sizes. They all hung out in random little groups around the room. Although the more she looked, the more that became apparent. There was one constant theme floating around in every group. The bigger groups had the bigger and stronger men, surrounded by several females, and occasionally scrawny males.

The men were seated back like kings while women huddled around their knees. A disgusting sight. Rei pursed her lips as she walked around the room casually. She didn't even realize so many female civilians would get sent to such a ruthless prison. Although Rei was broken from her thoughts as a particularly large male was coming her way.

He stood at a good six feet, two hundred and sixty pounds upwards. Quite the intimidating figure to any civilian. Although Rei wasn't afraid. Size didn't matter in the shinobi world, it was all about skill. The man came up and gripped her wrist with a lecherous grin. "Well aren't you just the finest lil' thing?" he asked as he pulled Rei closer to him. His breath portrayed the man never brushed his teeth, and smelled of sex. That fact alone sent a shiver down Rei's spine. The man was disgusting.

She sighed and raised her hand and shot down a practiced palm thrust to the man's arm, it would more than likely disable it for a good while. At least that was what she thought. The palm made impact heavily on the man's arm, and yet it didn't budge.

Suddenly Rei's mind was going a thousand miles a minute, but her thoughts all lead to the bracelet on her arm, and everything suddenly made sense. '_I can't use any chakra...'_ It dawned on her that the countless females laying around, forced to practically worship the biggest man around weren't civilians. They were defenseless females being simply physically overpowered by the average male.

Rei felt a lump grow in her throat as she looked up into the man's, now considerably wider lecherous grin. Fear danced through her eyes for a moment as she realized the implications of what her future could turn out to be. She struggled against the man violently, but to no avail against his strong grip.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of you." He said with a grin, "Before I share you with everyone else." the man finished.

Rei was far too gone into shock to even realize a shadow get cast over her, and a cloud of smoke to blow in the lecherous man's face. It all happened too fast. One moment the man was standing holding onto Rei in a harsh grip. The next he was laying on the ground, by a giant hand crashing into his face, and a cigar being put out on the side of his cheek by an even bigger man. Although Rei's relief was short lived as she realized who came to her rescue when he spoke.

"Now when I heard that little Rei-chan was going to be visiting us in prison, I never realized it meant that you were going to be a prisoner. So tell me Rei, how does it feel to be in a prison where a third of the people in here... you put them here yourself?" The large man asked with a grin.

Rei swallowed spit as she looked up at the man that stood at a good 6'10, three hundred pounds upwards of sheer muscle. She could only look up at the tall man before her and whisper out slowly, "Meshi Tamazaki..."

The man merely grinned.

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**Naruto, Moments after Hanabi and Sakura left**

Naruto sighed as he continued reading the scroll. He was far more comfortable with letting Hanabi and Sakura go have their fun, rather than ever having to admit that Mei at one point had really helped him. Naruto pushed those thoughts from his head as he read over various seconds that were on the scroll. At least until recognition flew across his face, forcing him to widen his eyes. _'That... is interesting...'_ Naruto thought in surprise. Although it was short lived, as the moment he made his discovery, he was force from the land of the living, and into the depths of his mind.

"My my my... I agree... that is interesting. Now your part of the deal?" Kyuubi's voice carried through his mind as she walked up the the edge of the giant cell.

Naruto barely even had time to compose himself before he realized that he was kneeling right before the beast. Naruto grit his teeth at the fox demon. "Don't assume you can order me around after forcibly pulling me down here." Naruto said with a growl.

Kyuubi merely grinned almost cheekily. "Yes yes, but I saw that you found a solution to my prob-"

"Solution to _my problem_." Naruto corrected the fox with a glare. "And yes I stumbled on a generic way as to unseal you," Naruto began calmly. "However that doesn't mean I am going to do it the moment I find out."

Kyuubi's eyes darkened at that, "We had a deal." She said slowly with a leveled glare towards the blonde.

"You're right, we did, in fact we still do. Luckily that deal we made never had an expiration date, so I suggest you stop treating it like it does." Naruto replied back suddenly realizing that he could keep the woman in there until he was on his death bed. Obviously, Kyuubi's reaction meant he wasn't the only one that came to this conclusion.

"What!" She screamed violently, her voice soaring through the halls of his mind. She slammed herself up against the cage ignoring the taunting chuckle coming from the raccoon behind her. Her entire body became cloaked in flames, her rage visible all over her face. Naruto knew he would have been done for if it weren't for the invisible force holding the fox back behind the cage.

Although visibly the Kyuubi calmed and stiffened up straight as she looked off into the distance. "Well... like mother, like son... right?" the Kyuubi spat out.

"Hmpf." was the reply of a female that was walking closer on Naruto's side of the cage. "Naruto, I would suggest not releasing this beast until the moment you're about to die." the female stated as she came into view.

Naruto turned to look over his shoulder, idly amused in his thoughts '_Like mother like son indeed...'_ He thought to himself recalling her recent statement.

"Oh someone is mad about being used as a chew toy." The Kyuubi taunted Kushina, doing her best to keep her anger in check.

Kushina sneered at the fox before her lips formed a very thin line. At the end of the day, the fate of the fox fell solely on Naruto's shoulders. She knew, try as she might, she knew she had no way to prevent Naruto from removing the seal. Or stopping the Kyuubi once the seal had been removed.

The Kyuubi spoke once again, taking advantage of the silence. "Please don't tell me you are actually thinking of listening to her Naruto-kun?" The Kyuubi said in an enticing whisper that demanded attention. "Like your mother would ever know what's best for you. She left you, trapped with me, with no one there to look after you. She abandoned you. I hope you aren't planning to betray me when I have been here for you all along." The Kyuubi finished with conviction in her seductive voice.

The small speech earned the demon a heated glare from the red headed woman outside of the cage.

Naruto stayed silent, truthfully zoning out the insults and comments being thrown back and forth between the two women. His attention was elsewhere. While it may have appeared he was staring directly at the Kyuubi. It was more that he was staring at the small slip of paper that held back the giant beasts that resided in the cage before him. The thought that something so small could contain so much power. Look were surely deceiving.

Naruto gazed as the demon in erotic human form before running a hand through his hair. "I don't think I have any reason to listen to either of you." Naruto commented honestly as he looked between the two women. He walked up to the single slip of paper on the cage before gazing at it in a long hard silence. It was a good five minutes of silence between everyone before Naruto even moved.

Naruto looked at his hand briefly, as if analyzing a hidden code that no one could possibly understand. He slowly took his palm, and gently placed it upon the paper seal. The mother behind the blonde tensed. Long since gone was her life of a shinobi. Yet the instinct to act was still ever present. The moment she saw her son try and reach for the edges of the seal, as if he was going to rip it off. She knew she would act, if not _him_.

Although that time proved to never need to arise as a faint glow happened under Naruto's palm before he stepped back. To one that didn't pay much attention, the change that happened looked so insignificant it was almost impossible to notice. That was why the two red heads were mildly surprised when Naruto stated, "Alright... I'm going to go. Don't drag my back down here again, unless I want to." he stated calmly. Yet there was a lingering sound that clung to Naruto's voice that even made the fox wary of calling the young shinobi back down into the seal.

Then with that comment, Naruto slowly faded from his mind, disappearing in a blue, chakra condensed mist.

The Kyuubi glared at Kushina from beyond the bars before scoffing at the woman. She turned sharply, her red chakra flowing wildly around her as she descended deeper into the darkness of the cave. At least, she was until she felt another presence behind her.

"Don't you touch that!" The demon yelled violently from her cage, once again throwing herself up against the bars. Trying her very hardest to seep as much chakra as possible out of the cage to strangle the new presence. Yet it was to no avail.

"And here I was hoping I would never see you again." A blonde man said as he made his way over to the seal on the cage, similar to the blonde that had approached it merely moments before.

Kyuubi regained her composure and focused her anger elsewhere, "Oh now you don't mean that Minato-chan. And here I thought you loved me." she said in a sickly sweet voice. Her body suddenly went up in flames and was quickly replaced with the perfect spitting image of Kushina. Although while looking exactly alike, the way they carried themselves was visibly different.

Kushina tensed as she saw the fox take on her form. She looked towards her husband with weary eyes, doing her best to gauge his expression.

Minato took his eyes off of the seal for a moment, visibly distracted by the Fox's form. Although he knew that he had bigger things to take care of. So he did his best to ignore the near by distractions and focus on the task at hand.

"Mi-Na-To-Chan..." The Kyuubi panted out in short breaths as she pressed her body fully up against the cage beside the blonde. "You... miss... me..." the Kyuubi finished with pauses as she let every single word sink in.

Kushina had done her best to hold back as she watched the beast before her take on her form, then proceed to taunt her husband. Although soon there came a point where enough was enough. Kushina rushed up to the cage and roughly pushed the Kyuubi away from the bars.

Minato tensed as he watched the encounter play out between his wife, and her look alike. He took a deep breath and returned his hand to the seal, before he began to enact his changes to it. "Please tell me you can fix whatever it is Naruto-kun did," Kushina said in a quiet voice as she looked upon her husbands work. "I don't want what happened to me... what the fox did to _us_ to happen to him," the mother finished weakly as bad memories floated towards the surface.

Minato tensed as he looked beside himself towards his wife, before reverting his eyes back to the seal. "I'm sorry..." he stated calm, as if he was referring to an action long since passed.

"It wasn't your fault," Kushina began, "If it was anyone's, it was mine. I was weak..." she finished with a sigh.

Minato looked upon his wife before taking his free arm, and wrapping it around her shoulder's pulling her closer to him. "It _wont_ happen again." he ensured his wife for certain.

Kushina peered into the abyss beyond the cage, only to be met with glowing red eyes from the darkness. "I hope so..." Kushina finished weakly.

Minato nodded his head, and a flare of light appeared over the seal.

His job was done.

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"Naruto..." was the first thing he heard as he was stirred from his sleep, by the voice of Hanabi. That and the fingers she was running through his hair. Although he was mildly surprised as Hanabi continued speaking without waiting for him to rouse.

"I know that I must seem crazy talking to someone who is asleep." She began weakly as she continued to gently run her fingers through his hair, whilst searching for what she wanted to say.

Naruto was surprised when he heard Hanabi admit that she was talking to him when he was asleep, truthfully he wondered how long she had been talking to him. Instead of choosing to announce to the girl that he was awake, he feigned that he was sleeping so that she would continue.

"I don't know what I want to do anymore Naruto... Sasuke and Sakura want to leave the village. They are running away from home. For so long I thought that it was ridiculous. I thought that family was everything." She gave a weak laugh as she shook her head, "I thought..." she let the statement linger in the wind for a few moments.

"Yet now I find myself wondering what family I have to go back too. The day we left on this mission, I was supposed to be branded by my family. A seal placed on me, condemning me to eternal slavery. Not just to the people I considered family, but those very people that stabbed me in the back. The moment I return home there will be nothing I can do." Hanabi said quietly, enjoying the peaceful surroundings of the near by lake, and the cool sea breeze that came in to Water country.

"I know that this is cheating, and it isn't really even fair to you. Telling you this while you're asleep... but... I'm not going back. I have thought it over. If you can't think of a reason to go home, if you can only think of negative things at the prospect of going home? Than why would you do so? I just want to say I'm sorry. For coming into your life, and leaving it. You have been a good... no... you have been my only friend."

Naruto's heart clenched at the confession. It clenched even more so as he felt the young girl holding him lean forward and gently place her lips to his forehead. Although the moment she lift his head off her lap, and he realized she was going to leave. He whipped his hand up, and gripped her arm as he slowly opened his eyes.

Fear was the look he was rewarded with when he did so. "What?" she said in surprise, "You were awake this entire time..." she began coming to the realization herself.

Naruto had the decency to look the slightest bit ashamed at the fact that he was leading her on to believe something that was never truly there.

"Oh Kami..." she said as if she was choking, short of breath. She couldn't even look Naruto in the eye anymore. "I'm going to just go." she said quickly as she began to sit up once again, although Naruto's grip remained firm.

Naruto averted his gaze from the Hyuuga's briefly before sighing, "Its fine... don't worry about it," he said in a neutral tone. It did it's best to mask the hurt tone that was hidden at the fact that yet another one another one, if not his closest friend also wanted to leave the village.

Yet sometimes, your best just isn't good enough.

Hanabi seemed to visibly shrink, any confidence she formerly had talking to the "sleeping" Naruto quickly faded away, despite Naruto's reassurance. It was far easier saying goodbye to the people you care about, when you know they will never hear it. She knew she was now forcibly torn. Go on with her earlier decision and stay with her friend, or forsake her friend in favor of her personal interests. Both thoughts brought tears to her eyes as she had since removed her hand from Naruto's hair, opting to grip tightly at her pants instead.

Naruto took a deep breath and sat up beside his friend. He had minimal experience with girls crying, in fact his only experience with crying females was with Hanabi. It was still foreign territory as far as Naruto was convinced. Yet still he tried. He gently wrapped his arm around the young Hyuuga's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He didn't care in the slightest when she wrapped her arms around him like a life line, or when she cried on his bare chest.

"Like I said, don't worry about it Hanabi-chan." he whispered quietly into her hair as he held her.

"How can I not worry?" Hanabi responded weakly. "The moment I return hope, I lose my freedom. Yet the moment I embrace my freedom, its the moment you will lose a friend... and likely the moment you lose your freedom." Hanabi mumbled into the blonde's chest.

Naruto felt his body go weak as the reality of her words sunk in. If he ever returned to Konoha after he let His friends leave under his watch. He would never be able to lead a mission again, let alone go out of Konoha's walls. Naruto's jaw tightened at that thought. Yet it didn't stop him from trying to keep the mood positive with the crying girl in his arms. "Everything is going to be alright... like I said, don't worry alright?" Naruto tried to assure the white eyed princess. Yet he knew the moment he said it, he was trying to assure himself as well.

He hoped it worked better on Hanabi than it did himself.

After sitting in silence with the younger shinobi for a good ten minutes, just holding her as they overlooked the lake. He had to ask the question that was on his mind.

"When did you plan to leave?"

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"I assume that everyone on this team knows their roles, their positions, and the correct times they are to carry out their actions? Correct?" was the question that came out in a rather laid back tone. Yet underneath all of that, there was a strict leadership that demanded respect, and could boost morale with few words.

A round of affirmatives sounded off amongst the small team of shinobi gathered around. "Good, than we rest now. Asuma how about you take first watch with..." the man giving the orders turned and gave a classic 'eye smile' "Kurenai-san." he commented cheekily.

The addressed man had the decency to flush under a more indirect reference to his personal life. The announced female wasn't faring any better. "Then I will take second watch with Neko-chan." the leader announced in a carefree tone, prompting a purple haired female to give a sigh.

The leader then promptly stood up, and his tone change quite a deal, as did his expression. "I am doing my best to relieve tension in our squad, but make no mistake. These are my students, and the only ties to my comrades I have left. There is no room for failure in this mission." The man then proceeded to make his exit, disappearing into a tent flap. The only sound that followed was a quiet affirmative from the purple haired anbu.

"Hai Kakashi-sempai."

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Naruto packed his gear with a frown as he thought over everything that had happened since he had come to the mist. All of the knowledge he had stumbled upon, for better or for worse. Nightfall had come over the Mansion that Mei had allowed his team to stay at. Yet for once he wished he was not stuck in silence. He had since made up his mind, but he didn't want to be stuck wandering his thoughts on the matter. Thankfully, for once, Mei was there to answer his wish.

"When my secretary came in and told me you were leaving... I didn't believe it, are you sure?" The Mizukage asked slowly from the doorway.

Naruto pursed his lips when he was met with the presence of the Mizukage, "Don't you have the Uchiha to see or something?" Naruto asked, still bitter about the subject. He had been losing to Sasuke his entire life. Whether it be in scores during the academy. People who wanted to be friends. Skill in the shinobi arts. The affections of his crush. His sensei even chose Sasuke over him. Now before him was the woman that once again, like everyone else, flocked to Sasuke's side.

Mei tilted her head lightly, and leaned against the door. A few moments of silence followed before Mei finally answered. "Are you jealous?" She asked getting straight to the point.

Naruto looked down to the things he was slowly packing away, and took pause at the question. He closed his eyes and gave an amused scoff. "Admittedly, I was jealous for a long time." Naruto said truthfully as he thought over the past few days.

A small gleam of satisfaction entered Mei's eyes as Naruto's confession. She confidently moved across the room to rest her hand on the boy's shoulder. That was when Naruto continued.

"Yet now..." Naruto saw flashes of everything that had been going on in his life. His interactions with Kyuubi. His teammates wishing to leave the village. This mysterious organization after his hide. The mystery that was Rin. Hanabi's confession. "I realized that I have more important things in my life to worry about, rather then the games you like to drag me through."

Mei froze mid step, and her hand stayed outstretched in mid air. Shock was a good way to describe how Mei felt. "What?" she asked slowly unsure she was hearing things correctly. Although Naruto wouldn't give her the chance to hear what he said again.

"Anyways, thank you for letting me stay here Mei. Perhaps we will meet some time down the road on different terms?" Naruto questioned with a weak smile.

Mei couldn't begin to describe what she was feeling right now. So many different emotions flew through her mind at the speed of light. Yet there was one thing she could note that was constant. The painful clenching at her heart. "Wait but... you can't leave." She began slowly, her eyes darting around thinking of a reason. "We never got to spend any time together?" It was meant to be a reason, but as it came out of Mei's lips, she couldn't help but make it sound like a weak question, almost pleading.

Naruto smirked and shook his head at the older woman, "Like we have been able to spend more than thirty seconds in the same room together. We barely even visited each other this entire time anyways. You spent more time with Sasuke this trip then me, lets not act like we accidentally missed out on a chance for something." Naruto picked up the bag he would later seal into a scroll, and slung it over his shoulder as he made for the exit.

Mei bit her lip with her back turned towards Naruto, before she took a deep breath and turned around confidently. "That's not true." She began, causing Naruto to stop still in the door way. "When you were injured, I was there every day. Every day I was at your side hoping, praying that you would wake up." Mei finished quietly.

Naruto pursed his lips. He hadn't known _that_... "Yet when I woke up, it was Hanabi who was there for me, not you." he said over his shoulder to the woman.

Mei's jaw tightened at that, "Why did you have to bring her into this?" Mei questioned, rather harshly.

Naruto stayed still before saying, "You said that I would do the same thing to her that you did to me. That we were the same. I just wanted to share with you just how wrong you truly are." Naruto finished coldly as he stared at the blue clothed woman.

Mei's eyes narrowed, "What makes her worthy of your attention, and me no longer worthy?" Mei questioned through clenched teeth.

Naruto gave a laugh and began, "She has a heart-"

The moment he said that Mei snapped back, "And I don't?" She questioned harshly.

Naruto shook his head with a sigh, "No you do... but it got lost somewhere in the many wars you went through." Naruto finished mercilessly.

Mei felt like she was pierced through the gut, there was no other way to describe how she was feeling. When you are curious about a person's opinion of you, you typically don't expect that level of brutal honesty.

Naruto took a deep breath, "And Mei. I stuck around to just say goodbye. I knew that you would come here to see me before I left. You ignored the fact that my team had already left." Naruto took a deep breath, "People change Mei, perhaps we will meet again on different terms." Naruto finished quietly. Then in an instant, he was gone, thanks to the Shunshin no jutsu.

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Naruto sigh as he lifted a bag over his shoulder and stepped onto the ship. He made his way onto the deck, and found himself looking towards his comrades. Hanabi was the first to come over, looking rather weak in the face.

"Are you sure you are okay with this?" Hanabi asked quietly. "I don't want you to go through with this if you don't want to, we can go back to Konoha. I know you may be worried because I haven't even planned on where to go- It could also be dangerous and I mean I completely understand if..." Hanabi kept speaking all in one breath. While Naruto knew that part of him wasn't liking this choice. If he had to choose between Konoha and his past dream to be Hokage, and his precious people? What is the point of having power without a purpose, power to defend with no one to protect. He would choose his friends any time.

"Hanabi..." Naruto began in amusement as he watched the younger, usually collected girl break down into a nervous rant. "I'm here aren't I?" Naruto asked with a grin.

Hanabi flushed in embarrassment, and not trusting her words merely nodded her head. Hanabi quietly led Naruto back over to the rest of the team, before sitting down without waiting for him.

Without further warning, the ship slowly began to move. He looked off into the distance on the shore, and he caught the sight of something he didn't know whether to smile or be depressed at.

There was Mei on the shore, slightly distressed, holding his Konoha headband.

Naruto turned away as something began to tighten in the pit of his stomach as he looked upon the sight. Instead he opted to clear his mind and simply watch a young blonde on the other side of the ship. He stood next to a silver haired shinobi with glasses. The blonde was simply, working on a wooden puppet.

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There we finally go. This chapter took longer than I had hoped to get through. The Mist just got very boring to write, and I never really wanted to write it in the first place... but I had to for the story. Anyways I get to write the fun stuff in upcoming chapters.

Anyways I will admit I felt this chapter was a bit boring. It was mainly just to tie together the whole purpose of going to the Mist which was simply: Get Naruto's views to change so he is willing to leave Konoha.

I gave a minor introduction to the character Rei as well as Meshi Tamazaki. They are two OCs that are going to really help Naruto grow into the man that he needs to be(in the first chapter). Particularly Meshi Tamazaki who will fill a similar role that Jiraiya did in Canon.

Anyways hopefully I will be able to start getting some quicker chapters out now that I actually really want to write the following chapters. Although there are no promises I'm afraid. Real life and League of Legends have stole my soul.

**Also as a final note to people reading this story. I released a single one shot that is essentially an ending to a Naruto story I have always wanted to write. Yet I never could find a story where the ending would truly fit. The one shot is titled "Time Keeps Dragging On" and it is short, but I think it is a decent read. Check it out, see what you think. Although READ THE AN BEFOREHAND it does explain that the story has "Spoilers" if you want to call them that.**

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter everyone. Sorry about the wait.

PS: No this chapter did not answer every question that was brought out there in the Mist. "What about Mei's husband?" "What about that Paper that Sasuke made for Mei?" "What about Kakashi's mission?" etc etc etc. They will be answered in time. Just not yet.

**Chapter Edited to fix plothole with Sakura**


	22. Everything's So Blurry: I

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Read the AN at the bottom for an explanation on Length, and future chapter concept that I am going for.

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_**Sometimes in our confusion... we see the world not as it is, but the world through the eyes blurred by the mind.**_

_Naruto sat in silence, darkness closing in all around him. Alone in his room, to anyone that was looking in, he sat there alone talking to himself. His pupils were dilated as if he hadn't had a moment of rest. His pants were torn and thrashed, barely recognizable as pants in their current state. His body was covered with dirt, dust, and blood. Short streaks of blood, yet wounds that had long since disappeared signifying former injuries._

_He rested the side of his hand on his mouth in distress as images flashed through his head. The vision of him driving a spear straight through someone, sticking them to a wall as blood leaked out of his wound onto Naruto's arms._

_Naruto shook his head violently at the thought, yet as he looked at his hands he kept finding blood, blood that he couldn't wash off. Naruto bit his lip as more images flashed through his mind. The image of him expertly slicing open the throat of a man before him, a roar of a crowd ever present in the back of his mind, crying out for blood. Naruto covered his eyes with his hands, trying to stop the images. Yet he knew from former attempts, that the eyes were not require to see that which was already in the mind._

_Naruto removed his hands from his eyes as he put his hand to his mouth again. His body shivering at the thoughts. "Stop!" he yelled from his solitary confinement. Hoping the images would listen to words. It as to no avail._

_Naruto shook his head as he rocked back and forth, "Soon it will be over, soon it will be over, soon it will be over..." he said to himself as images of all of his friends flashed before his eyes... he knew he would miss them._

_"Naruto!" a voice called out in a near by whisper. "What happened to the boy that refused to give up?"_

_Naruto froze._

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**Previously...**

"Thank you for doing this... for me..." Hanabi said weakly as she sat beside Naruto around a fire. The fire had stones stacked up around it in a dome, making it a giant ball of warmth. It hadn't been her idea, but Naruto said it made it harder for people to spot the flames. And they knew they were being pursued, it was only a matter of time before others eventually showed up. "How do you think Sasuke and Sakura are doing?" Hanabi asked, trying to get a word out of the blonde. Although he had been practically silent their entire journey. However... could she really blame him?

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_**Flashback... one of many...**_

_"Thank Kami I caught up to you four." called out the voice of a woman. Her legs and arms were glistening with water and sweat. Her torso was wet and she was panting considerably. Her cheeks were flushed. If anyone had just happened upon the scene they would probably have a fun time guessing what the woman was doing._

_"Kurenai-san!" Hanabi yelled out in surprise at the sight of the woman. They were half way through their voyage, did she literally just run partly across the sea and onto the ship?_

_In an instant all eyes turned toward the woman Hanabi addressed. "Isn't that team eight's sensei?" Sakura asked in a hushed whisper._

_The genjutsu mistress was short of breath as she walked up to the group of genin that were sitting in a circle on the deck of the ship. "I can't tell you how good it feels to know I found you guys." She said with a smile, "I am going to be escorting you four back to Konoha safe and sound. As of now Naruto, I will also be taking command of the team. I hope that you don't mind." the woman in her exhausted state was utterly missing the tension that continued to build the longer she stuck around._

_"Not at all..." Naruto answered with a fake smile that he perfected when he was younger. The other younger shinobi gathered around smiled weakly, even if they were inwardly filled with dread._

_"Great. Then we shall take a day to rest when we arrive in Wave, and then we will make our way back to Konoha the following day._

_All of the younger shinobi nodded, if not reluctantly..._

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"Naruto I'm sorry..." Hanabi repeated once again. She found herself saying that more and more over the past couple days that she had spent with him. "If I had known that this would all have happened... I wouldn't have asked for you to help me." Hanabi said quietly as she placed her hand on the shoulder of the blonde shinobi beside her. Yet he was in his own world.

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_Naruto took a deep breath as he watched his friends run off into the distance, taking separate routes. He had let them escape, on purpose. It was at this point watching their retreating forms, he felt very old. He kept telling himself, what was the point of being a protector when you had no one else to protect? Yet he knew that didn't justify his betrayal, at least not in his mind._

_Naruto took a deep breath as he extended his single arm, untainted by the demons that resided in him. A single sword forged from water slowly made itself as water flood in from the air around him. Rin's words flashed through his mind at a rapid pace, brutally reminding him that he did not know sacrifice. At least he was told. Yet the sinking feeling that was in his gut? The iron weight that refused to leave? Was this what it felt like?_

_"Naruto! Where are your teammates!" Kurenai yelled in panic, if not slightly exhausted from his trip the day before._

_Naruto looked down at his tattooed hand. Or more specifically what was in it. A single note that Hanabi had left behind for him, thinking she was doing him a favor._

_'Now you don't have to choose._

_I'm sorry...'_

_Naruto clutched the note in his hand and stuffed it in his pocket as he replied to the red eyed woman behind him, "They just left." he stated calmly over his shoulder, clutching at the sword in his grasp._

_Kurenai raised an eyebrow as she stared the back of the blonde Uzumaki as she let his words sink in, "You say that as if you just let them leave. Given your performance in the chunin exams, you would have surely been able to beat an injured Sasuke and..." she trailed off to herself, slowly coming to the realization. "You knew they were trying to run away... to flee Konoha!" she finished with a shout._

_Naruto turned toward the woman as he stood strong. "The hidden leaf village was built on the Will of Fire. That every Konoha shinobi must fight, love, cherish, and believe in the village. Yet I find myself at a loss, because what is the will of fire when you have nothing to love, cherish, believe, or even fight for in the village?"_

_Kurenai shook her head as she got into a fighting position, "You would willingly turn your back on people that care about you. That is not the boy that used to run around saying he was going to be Hokage."_

_Naruto growled out, "He died when my sensei turned his back on me for another student."_

_"They very student you are now choosing to throw your life away for." Naruto's breath got caught in his throat at her response. His resolve wavering ever slightly._

_"I wont be missed." He said smoothly, dismissing the truth to the woman's earlier statement._

_Kurenai shook her head, "What about the other rookies that care about you? Team Ten? Team Gai? Team Eight? What about Hinata?" Kurenai questioned the blonde, realizing she may very well have to kill her student's crush._

_Naruto's resolve quickly started shattering under the woman's gaze, "I..." Naruto took a deep breath to regain his focus. He remembered what Hanabi's fate would be if she got caught. There are some things worse than death. "I will protect my friends. The Will of Fire assumes that you love everyone in the village. No, the village despised me. I fight for the people I care about, and their well being." Images flashed through his mind of Sasuke standing over him during his battle with Haku. Hanabi staying loyally at his bed side, and accepting him for who he was. "If I have to sacrifice my life, so the people I care about can live, then so be it!" Naruto yelled once again solidifying his resolve._

_Kurenai wavered a bit under the boy's hardened gaze. They both knew that there was no turning back for either of them._

_Naruto watched as Kurenai disappeared in a burst of speed into the trees, trying to get around him and give chase to the fleeing shinobi. Although Naruto anticipated this from the start. He utilized his own speed to intercept her path. The action alone forced her to draw a kunai, and block the blade of water that came into her path. The action alone caused utter surprise in the genjutsu mistress._

_"You would willingly fight me for no reason, knowing it is your death." Kurenai asked coldly, her beautiful eyes shifting to that of a battle hardened warrior._

_Naruto pushed back roughly, his toned male physique throwing the woman off guard. "Not for no reason, for my friends." he said with a cool gaze._

_"I see..." Kurenai said calmly before her body literally dematerialized into the wind._

_Naruto's eyes widened as he searched around, doing his best to extend his senses, before he realized, this woman was the very worst person he could have encountered. The Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha.  
_  
_As if on perfect queue, a cut appeared on Naruto's sword arm, right before another slash appeared across his back. It was at that moment, Naruto decided to send out a burst of his chakra in all directions. After all, he couldn't counter genjutsu well, but he learned he could overpower them._

_XXXXXXX Flashback within Flashback XXXXXXXX_

_"What the hell is the point of this, no one in the exams even uses genjutsu." Naruto said with a growl as he sat cross legged on the ground, doing his best to ignore the weight on his shoulders._

_"You don't know that Naruto-kun. What is a shinobi's best tool?" Mei said in a cheerful voice as she laid back on the large rock she was sitting on._

_"Deception..." Naruto growled out, "Now can you get your damn legs off my shoulders?" Naruto yelled out.  
_  
_Mei giggled to herself a bit, and couldn't resist, "That's not nice Naruto, is being between my legs unpleasant for you?" Naturally the statement had it's effect of making the teenage boy flush in utter embarrassment._

_"Erm... no... but" Naruto was blushing too bad to form coherent sentences._

_"Then stop your complaining and focus." she commanded with a smile._

_Naruto sighed as he knew over the countless exercises he had partaken it with Mei, that arguing with her was pointless. She was like an immovable object, but worse. She was always right. "You said there were three different ways to stop genjutsu from effecting you. I know you said pain that overwhelms the senses in one. Then there is this one, trying to use a precise amount of chakra. However what is the last one?" Naruto questioned as he nearly turned around to face her. However he suddenly realized what that would entail, and wisely only opted to turn his head slightly to address the woman._

_Mei smirked at the younger boy before her, "Trying to sneak a peek?" She teased as she moved her legs a bit on the blonde's shoulders._

_Naruto groaned, and shrugged his shoulders, "Never mind." he said, not wanting to be teased any more than he already was. Although, Mei answered his question regardless._

_"An overwhelming amount of chakra in the area that would disrupt any genjutsu getting placed upon you. We will be trying that next."_

_XXXXXXX_

_Naruto spun with a vicious back hand with his tattooed arm. If he still had possession of his gauntlet, his hit wood have done far more damage than simply causing the shocked kunoichi to fly backwards into a tree._

_"Where did you learn that?" Kurenai questioned standing up quickly and righting herself, reviewing her personal strategy, and changing things due to the current outcome._

_"My sensei..." Naruto admitted begrudgingly. A look of surprise crossed her face as he admitted that. He could visibly see the questions flying through her mind. However he decided to correct her train of thought._

_"Not Kakashi, Mei Terumi, Kirigakure's Mizukage." Naruto finished bitterly. While he didn't like Mei, it only helped prove his point when he had learned more from an enemy village than he had in his home village._

_Kurenai did show her surprise on the matter, but quickly righted herself, "Naruto, if you had asked me I would have helped you." the woman tried to reason with the jinchuriki._

_Naruto scoffed as he whipped his blade once, "Oh? And here I was under the impression that you thought I was the worst genin of the Rookie nine. That there was no chance I was going to beat Kiba." Naruto finished with a grin. "Besides, one sensei betraying their students is enough. Making it a common occurrence in a village that prided itself on teamwork wouldn't sit well, don't you think?"_

_Kurenai merely smiled, "I can only hold myself accountable for my actions, not the actions of others." she said smoothly, her voice hinting at more beyond her words. "If you came to me, I would have helped you."_

_"Water under the bridge." Naruto said casually, as he launched himself forward. He rushed forward with a downward slash, only to follow up by making a dagger in an instant in his other hand with the intent to pierce._

_Kurenai if she were a less experience opponent may have been caught off guard, but she merely dodged to the left of the first slash before grabbing Naruto's wrist when he lunged. "You may have won the chunin exams, but you are no where close to my level Naruto." she said coldly as she gripped his wrist, and moved in, too close for the blade held by the other hand to do any damage._

_Naruto scowled, and quickly water gathered around the small dagger that was located at the wrist she was holding. Quickly water built up, and across the dagger a blade quickly began to form, aimed at her stomach. Kurenai jumped back to avoid any form of damage that quick attack may have inflicted._

_It was at that point cherry blossoms began to fly around the battlefield, as Kurenai once again faded from vision._

_Naruto once again exploded his chakra out around him, but this time, the illusion didn't disappear. Naruto cursed, and within moments ten clones materialized out of bubbling areas of water that floated in mid air. A trick that perhaps may work on a genin of the Hyuuga clan, but not on a seasoned jounin._

_One cut, two cuts, three cuts. Cut after cut began to appear on Naruto's body as his torso began to get ripped apart under Kurenai's onslaught. Naruto once again gave a violent cry and tried to channel as much chakra as he possibly could into overpowering the genjutsu. Yet just as he was about to do that, a sharp pain impacted on shoulder. Then again, and again, and again. They were senbon. Senbon after senbon impacted his body, a feeling he could remember all too well. Each one being expertly aimed at a tenketsu, intending to stop chakra flow without the body._

_It wasn't long until Naruto was feeling utterly helpless, and at the mercy of the woman that materialized before him. "You could have been something great Naruto... you needed more training." she said with a shake of the head as she sighed. "The ability to utilize large bursts of chakra is effective to take out genjutsu, but not if the genjutsu is being constantly and repetitively applied. It takes nearly a full second and a half for the mind to realize that it is no longer under the effects of an illusion, more than enough time to reapply a genjutsu on an inexperienced target." Kurenai stated calmly, despite her frown as she looked down on the fallen blonde._

_She moved forward in silence, intent on hitting a pressure point rendering the boy unconscious. At least, that was her intent._

_Naruto snatched her arm in his hand before she could react. Blood was pouring down his body from his shallow wounds. The wounds you inflict on an opponent to injure, but not disable. Yet it was that blood he turned into his weapon._

_The blood gathered in an instant on his chest, before piercing forward in a deadly spear. Kurenai tried to leap out of the way, but hadn't calculated for Naruto's iron grip, and as such his significant amount of extra weight. She barely jumped a foot to the side, dragging Naruto along with her before losing her balance and falling on her back. The battle that was formerly in the Genjutsu Mistress' favor was no longer. Not on the ground in a wrestling match with a teenage male._

_Kurenai quickly tried to roll onto Naruto and to seize the advantage, ending the fight then and there. Although Naruto was having none of it, as he had the same idea in mind. As she rolled, Naruto kneed forward, hitting her directly in her sore legs from her trek across the sea._

_Kurenai gasped out in pain, but didn't take the time to register it as she violently punched at the boy's ribs as he rolled over on top of her._

_Naruto flinched at the impact, but quickly grabbed the offending arm. He rose up on her body, placing his left knee on her right elbow as he pinned her other arm over her head. Then with a significant amount of focus Naruto's blood slowly began to rise into the air, before making the tiniest blots on her white clothing._

_Kurenai kicked up her lower body, nearly disrupting Naruto's actions. Although he now knew that he couldn't continue without fixing that. Naruto quick with his left free hand gathered a kunai made of blood. He forced enough chakra into the blade for it to last a good couple of minutes. He then quickly hooked it through Kurenai's bandage wrappings on one of her upper thighs before staking her to the ground._

_Then the process after that was simply. Sure Kurenai attempted to thrash around, but trying to rise up on a powerful opponent with your arms already fully extended? Good luck._

_"What the hell are you doing." Kurenai cursed at Naruto as she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was being beaten by a chunin, a fresh off the boat chunin at that._

_Naruto pursed his lips before taking a deep breath, with the final bit of blood seeping into her clothing. He then instantly removed his arms from the female under him and flashed through a series of hand signs before quickly pressing his hands to the woman's chest. Although that didn't stop him from being viciously punched in the stomach and knocked flying. Thankfully for him, his technique had taken hold, and they was nothing Kurenai could do._

_"What the hell did you do to me!" Kurenai yelled as she was unable to get up._

_Naruto ran a hand through his hair, there was sweat on his forehead, and his heart was pounding incredibly fast. He likely would have died in that fight had the woman not given him a chance. "Fuinjutsu." Naruto began wish a sigh. "I gave you a four limbs weighting seal using my blood instead of ink."_

_Kurenai's eyes widened at that bit of information. 'This kid was able to apply a non-combat sealing technique on me... in combat? Damnit these seals are the ones Gai and his clone use for their weights' The very thought was ridiculous in it's own right._

_"I permanently weighed down the underside of your clothes so they would feel like they were a good couple thousand pounds. The front side, isn't that heavy, I didn't want you to be crushed." Naruto said calmly as his wounds began to seal up as his body could focus less on battle and more on healing. "The seal will wear off in a few hours, and thankfully we are in the middle of no where. So you don't have to worry about some creep coming along... and well..." Naruto let the statement linger in the air. It was obvious what he was talking about._

_Naruto moved to leap away, "Anyways yes in theory, you could use your arms to rip open your clothes and chase me. Although I imagine you have a bit more dignity than wanting to strut through the forest on a wild goose chase, chasing after a young teenager while naked. People might get the wrong idea." Naruto finished calmly. "I'm sorry for leaving you like this." Naruto said as an afterthought before leaping off into the forest._

_Kurenai didn't know whether to be angry or impressed with the situation. She could only laugh, "Idiot..." she said with a sigh. "He's still too young... there is no room for mercy in the shinobi world." Kurenai let her head fall to the ground. She knew she would be here for awhile._

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"Naruto..." Hanabi's voice broke him from his thoughts. His eyes registering his surroundings and bringing him back to reality. Back to him sitting beside Hanabi at the fire. "I made some food... its not much. And I've never really cooked before. However I think I was able to manage beans okay." she said with a smile as she rubbed the back of her head. She then extended her hand, giving him the first bowl.

Naruto despite his previous thoughts smiled at the girl, "I'm sure it will be fine Hanabi." he said with a smile as he reached for the bowl. And soon enough, they were both sitting side by side the fire once again, just eating.

"Thanks for everything Naruto..." Hanabi said as she played with the spoon in her food. "I have caused you nothing but trouble this entire time. I've been useless." She said, mentally beating herself up.

Naruto looked up from his bowl to the girl beside him, "Hanabi..." he began as he frowned at the girl. She had her head cast down, he could see the faint drops hitting the dirt floor. Her hair was cast over her face, even a few strands fell into the bowl of her food.

Naruto chuckled to himself lightly. He gently removed the strands of hair from the bowl, before wrapping an arm around Hanabi's shoulder and pulling her closer to him. "You will never be useless Hanabi, don't ever think that." Naruto said with a smile. His words and touch causing Hanabi to freeze.

Hanabi shrank into his touch, "Why are you doing this for me?" Hanabi said quietly, still not believing her situation.

Naruto sighed, as he rubbed her shoulder gently, "I care about you." he answered simply as if the statement answered everything.

Hanabi once again froze before twirling her spoon once again, "I see..." she said a small smile gracing her lips at his confession.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the younger girl, "You see what?" he questioned.

Hanabi gave a weak laugh, "How it was so easy for my sister to like you." she finished with a small smile. "Thanks for coming back for me Naruto."

Naruto grinned at the young Hyuuga, "Anytime." he said as he thought back to earlier that day.

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_Hanabi crashed onto her knees as she came across the stream before her. Relief washed over her as she took her first few handfuls of water. She must have been running for at least two hours straight. Tired was an understatement. Although her relief was short lived as she realized that she was not alone at the stream._

_"Well well, looks like Kami sent us a present boys," was the call of a female voice from across the stream.  
_  
_"A Hyuuga, all the way out here? How much do you think we could sell her to Kumo for?" a male voice asked. He sounded like the fat and slow type, but Hanabi had yet to check._

_"You idiot, we aren't going to sell her. Look! She's unmarked. Can you imagine what Oniki would say if we brought him back an unmarked Hyuuga?" the female cursed her partner's stupidity._

_A deep commanding voice rose up over the other two, "Shut your mouth Daisuke if all you intend to do is make stupid suggestions." yet before the female could give a triumphant taunt, the male addressed her as well. "And Izumi, mind your tongue otherwise I will quite easily exact the rights of old tradition. You may deny Daisuke because he fails to put up any sort of fight, but I promise you. You will not deny me. Understood?" his cold voice demanded silence and obedience._

_Hanabi looked up slightly fearful, having just been witness to the conversation before her._

_"Hai Yuuta-sensei." Izumi replied obediently, any confidence she had formerly completely gone, leaving behind an insecure female standing in her place. Apparently "Yuuta" didn't mind._

_Yuuta stood at five foot ten, with white hair that contrasted against the black hair of his two teammates. He turned to Hanabi and looked her up and down once before saying, "Daisuke, grab her. I don't want to spend my time chasing her, she couldn't be more than fifteen years old. Given Konoha's standards, she likely has no experience. Add to the fact that she is exhausted."_

_The biggest man of the group reminded Hanabi a lot of the members of the Akamichi clan from Konoha... but bigger... a lot bigger. He was easily six three, and had the weight to match. Hanabi leaped into a defensive stance, as she began to back away. Although it didn't help as the larger man threw his entire weight at the smaller girl. Any gentle fist strike she had hoped to pull off was instantly nullified by the man's body as he grabbed her by the arm, and lifted her a foot off of the ground._

_"Alright come, lets move." was Yuuta's commanding voice, at least until he sensed a shift in the wilderness behind Daisuke. "Now isn't that interesting..." he said in a whisper that only Izumi could hear. This served to prompt a raised eyebrow from the girl who was five foot six, with excellent curves the extenuate her toned figure._

_Out of the forest line, the moment Daisuke managed to turn around effectively with the flailing Hyuuga in his grasp, a shinobi was on the gravel floor stabbing him in the spine with a kunai. His first kill._

_"Naruto!" cried out the female Hyuuga in surprise, before she was unceremoniously dropped on her ass by the dead... or paralyzed shinobi._

_"Daisuke!" Izumi yelled in a freight, seeing her comrade fall right before her eyes, before violently turning her gaze to Yuuta. "You knew about that boy didn't you? You knew he was there and you said nothing!" she yelled in anger._

_Yuuta remained impassive through his teammates words as his gaze peered long and hard at the blonde shinobi across from him. "Your inaction just cost us our partner's live Yuuta!" upon him being unresponsive, the dark haired female pushed him. "Yuuta! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" she questioned harshly._

_Yuuta's gaze remained on Naruto for a good few moments, before stating, "I needed a new teammate anyways." he replied with a straight face as he looked at the barely breathing form of his teammate._

_"You... you bastard..." Izumi growled out as she clenched her fists before drawing a kunai and turning toward Naruto and Hanabi. "If you wont do anything about it, than I will._

_"Actually no you wont." Yuuta said calmly as he raised an eyebrow at the blonde shinobi, who was now quite unnerved by the constant staring. "We're done here. Come Izumi."_

_"What!" Izumi hissed angrily, "That boy looks like the Son of Flash, and he just killed our teammate. There is an unmarked Hyuuga right across from us, and you just want us to leave?" she growled at her superior._

_Yuuta looked behind him, "Did I stutter?" he asked in a deadly low voice, which crushed Izumi's defiance, even if it didn't crush her anger. Yuuta turned to the two shinobi and gave a grin that looked far out of place on his features, "Good day Konoha strays. I suggest you don't leave the country, patrols come by at this time." Yuuta said casually with a wave goodbye._

_Izumi looked slightly horrified as she looked over to her fallen teammate, "We are just going to leave him? He's still alive!" she asked disbelievingly as her sensei turned to move away._

_Yuuta looked back over his shoulder to Daisuke, "Dead weight, and... he'll be dead soon." Yuuta said before vanishing with a simple shunshin no jutsu._

_Izumi clenched her fists as she looked at her fallen teammate and toward Naruto and Hanabi before growling out, "Pray we don't meet again blondie, or we will have words." she said before vanishing herself._

_Naruto let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding as he finally got to rest from catching up to Hanabi. The younger girl beside him was in shock, "I can't believe you came after me..."_

_Naruto smirked slightly to himself as he gave a deep breath thinking 'After running that far? Neither can I.'_

_Silence fell between the two of them before Hanabi broke it, and addressed a situation Naruto was hoping to forget. "We should probably take care of him..."_

_Naruto turned looked down and saw the barely responsive man on the ground bleeding to his death. His first kill. Naruto squeezed his eyes tightly before drawing a kunai, moving towards his neck. He did his best to not think about it now, because he knew it would be all he would be thinking about later._

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Naruto gave a bittersweet smile as he recalled the memory. He was forced to kill another human being. Yet... he did it to save his friend. Beyond that, he felt no different. He didn't feel like he was turning into any huge monster. No... in the shinobi world, killing to save the life of the people you care about. That was just. He wouldn't seek to kill people, he would seek protect others. He was a protector. If the shinobi world was full of tools, weapons to be used? He would be a shield.

_The question was for how long that would remain true._

**XXXXXXXXX**

**XXXXXXXXX**

**XXXXXXXXX**

Huge note before the AN: **Remember "Sometimes in our confusion, we see the world not as it is, but the world through the eyes blurred by the mind." **It pretty much encompasses this Arc.

Anyways that wraps up this chapter. Significantly shorter than more recent chapters. Anyways I just came across this idea on how to develop Naruto recently. Because while I already knew I would love writing this Arc, I always felt that there was something missing in a particular portion of it. I will explain that some time later, or else PM me and I can tell you a general concept of what I am going for. Although if you do that, don't complain about being spoiled.

Also this is a hobby, so I wanted to try something new. Mainly I wanted to see how highlighting scenes with flash backs would do, and I really liked how this scene turned out. The top of the chapter depicts something much like the beginning of the story. That brief glimpse into the future, and you can only wonder how the character got there. Particularly when it depicts Naruto as this cold blooded killer at the top, and him trying to come to terms with his first kill at the bottom. So I think I will be releasing smaller chapters more frequently with this Flashback concept in mind until it reaches the point that was the first scene of this chapter. (Don't quote me on that though, it is subject to change).

As such with the shorter chapter, I wasn't able to address everything. Such as people would likely ask "Where the hell are Sasuke and Sakura?" I'll get around to it next chapter.

As for this upcoming Arc in general? It is going to be much darker. Probably as dark as this story is going to get. I have a real big vision I want to depict for Iwagakure, and I really want every shinobi nation to really stand out on their own. I personally find it a bit ridiculous that how when all the shinobi nations got together for a meeting, they were all relatively on the same page. I think Iwagakure's views should be drastically different than Konoha's. Similar to the idea of people in China don't live the same way as American's do in the United states. Or the constant saying that the English in Europe and the English in the USA are the "Same languages, spoken in completely different ways."

Iwagakure will be cut throat, and this arc will be taking place in a prison. I want to showcase a realistic depiction of such a place, and as such it will be graphic at times. However I much rather depict something realistic and graphic, rather than fake and sugarcoated.

Now finally as a little note to add. There was a lot of guessing going around last chapter about the puppeteer and the silver haired man on the ship. And that was more just put in there at the end for me. A huge thing for me and people that read my stories is that: I have two big stories out right now that I know I need to update. Consequences of an Honest Enemy, and this story. However they both ended up going to the same place. So I gave myself a choice. Finish the Mist arc with Freedom, or Consequences. This is so I don't do them at the same time and have plots and characters overlap each other. So the fact that Naruto finally left the mist in this story? To me it symbolized that I could finally depict Naruto(A puppeteer in Consequences of an Honest Enemy) and Kabuto reaching the Mist village.

So it was more just my personal implementation. You wont be seeing them again, unless I find my stories overlapping again. You may see another cameo.

Anyways this AN has gone on long enough. Tell me How do you feel about this chapter? Did you like it? What do you think I could improve on? Yes I know my grammar sucks.


	23. Willingly and Wrongfully Taken

**Short AN:** Man... this chapter was supposed to be out weeks ago. A friend decided to troll me and take my USB with him on vacation, taking this chapter with him. Much appreciated if anyone decides to send "Peace 22" a message that says something like "Wayso whats up man... Oh wait... I'm not lame!"

Anyways sorry for the delay.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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_"Prisoner Uzumaki... genin... murderer... traitor..." was the gruff voice that came from a set of speakers. Naruto stood before a solid steel door in a dark hallway, his arms shackled together behind him. On his wrist was a single band, that was impossible to remove by normal means, constantly suppressing most his chakra._

"Your crimes against Iwagakure would be punishable by death in other countries. The Tsuchikage believes there are fates worse than that. Darkness lies beyond these walls Uzumaki. You best pray for your sake that you live to see the light of day. The first night it always the roughest..." called out the voice over the intercom.

Naruto pursed his lips, and clenched his fists behind his back. The giant steel door before him, swung open. It wasn't long before he was roughly pushed through the walk way.

"Your arms," a female said from behind him before she gestured to a slot by the steel door.

Naruto begrudgingly backed up to the door, and placed his arms by the small hole. Sure enough the woman was behind him, yet beyond the door taking off the cuffs the were binding his arms. Soon enough Naruto was left in the shadows, alone, looking over a giant room full of tables, a sea of men and women all without a single smile.

Naruto stepped out into the light of the room, hoping that perhaps he was just imagining things. Although as many laid eyes upon him, the smiles turned to frowns and glares. An Iwagakure prison was the last place he wanted to be, considering who his father was. Although he didn't have much time to think about it otherwise, as a group of prisoners were coming his way.

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**Earlier that day(Morning)**: **Naruto's location**

Naruto stirred from his sleep with a silent yawn, cracking open his eyes to take in his surroundings. It didn't take long for him to realize he had fallen asleep sitting up against a log, Hanabi opting to curl up next to him and use his chest as a pillow. He let out a groan as he leaned back to stretch, doing his best to not wake Hanabi. He sighed as he took a deep breath, staring up into the cloudy skies, doing his best to forget about the events that had transpired the previous day. After all, today was a new day.

Naruto sat still for a good five minutes before he began to gently trace his hand alongside Hanabi's arm. If they were in Konoha, back at his apartment. He would have tried to find a way to untangle himself from her, and then let her sleep. However inside Earth country borders? Naruto's number one mission was for him to try and figure out how to get out of Earth Country. Then after that... figure out what he was going to do... with everything.

Yet as Naruto was in the process of gently trying to awaken Hanabi, he saw the ground not far from him begin to boil and contort, he realized that perhaps untangling himself would in fact be the best option for right now.

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**Earlier that day(morning): Sasuke's location**

"Sasuke-kun! We can't keep this up forever!" Sakura yelled out in distress toward her teammate.

"Uchiha, shut the trap of that pink haired groupie of yours so we can fucking work!" cursed a flute playing shinobi as she valiantly defended the sharingan wielding shinobi against a barrage of kunai through the use of a summon.

"Tayuya, do your job and take care of the genjutsu woman!" yelled a rather fat shinobi as he proceeded to lift a large slab of earth to hurl at his enemies. To say the fight they were having was "Epic" would be a vast understatement. One could compare it to a shinobi skirmish one would see during war times. Sakura and Sasuke had found allies in shinobi from Otogakure, that went by the name "The sound four" which made sense, up until the time a fifth shinobi had shown up. By all accounts the fight should have been easy. After all it was just a few genin in pursuit of the Sound shinobi. At least that was the original problem. Although problems started to just stack upon themselves as the chase and battles continued. First three shinobi from Sunagakure arrived, then they were followed shortly by the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha. To say the sound ninja were outclassed when pitted against the red eyed woman would be an understatement.

The fact of the matter was there was only one shinobi there that could effectively hold even ground with them, and that was Kaguya Kimimaro. He shrugged off the genjutsu Mistress's techniques as if they were never even there. Of course this was a marvel to the Konoha shinobi, but nothing too strange to the sound ninja. Genjutsu revolved around affecting a person's mind, and their senses. Sometimes even imposing on another person's will. Yet if a person's will was too strong? If they were too intuned with their mind, their sense of duty? No illusion could ever stray them from their path. That was why you could find the white haired shinobi holding his own against some of the brightest young shinobi the world had seen in a long time.

Sasuke grit his teeth in pain as he fell to his knee catching his breath. Nearly the entire rookie nine had come after them. He had not felt this weak since his battle with Naruto. It didn't help that he could barely use one of his arms. The black markings covered his entire body as purple chakra flowed around him, giving him the only energy to survive against the large shinobi onslaught. The formerly lush green plain was a shadow of it's former self. Scorch marks marred the grass, giant bone columns had erupted from the ground, desert sand had found home in the lands of fire country. Paths were ripped in the dirt, as kunai and shurikan littered the ground before them.

Sasuke grit his teeth as he saw movement from the corner of his eye. He turned roughly, and gave a swift kick to Sakura's stomach, sending her sprawling backwards. He spun quickly, grabbing a discarded bone sword that the white haired shinobi had long since dropped. He brought it up before his face just in time to block a single punch from a gloved fist with a plate on it.

"You have gotten faster... Sasuke-san." was what Sasuke heard from a familiar voice, as the weight pressed upon the blade he was blocking with became unbearable. Sasuke squinted up with tired eyes, only to catch sight of his opponent's. One normal, one sharingan eye. "Sorry I am late, I had to run across an ocean."

"Kakashi-sensei!" was the gasp that came from Sakura, still recovering from the blow she received from Sasuke. Even if it was meant to get her out of the way... it hurt.

Kakashi didn't give his usual eye smile when he was addressed. That was reserved for his students, not enemies on the battlefield. He scanned the field quickly before his eyes narrowed, "Where is Naruto?" he questioned as he turned back to the young Uchiha as he began to overpower him quite easily.

Sasuke looked slightly sick for a moment as if he had come to realize something that he found disgusting, "Not here... he was right." Sasuke answered cryptically.

Kakashi frowned as he took in the boy's answer before straightening up, and unleashing an incredible amount of physical force. The blow knocked Sasuke sprawling onto the ground with little time to react, "I see... well stay down, I am taking you back to Konoha. You don't want me as your opponent Sasuke." his eyes scanned the various battles going around before him, the Kaguya being the only one showing exceptional skill. "No one here does." he added as an amused afterthought.

That thought was short lived as Kakashi suddenly felt a shift of air behind him that fell in sync with the widening of the young Uchiha's eyes.

"Is that so? I believe you should reconsider that statement." was the cold voice from behind Kakashi's back. Although that wasn't what sent a shiver down his spine.

It was the hissing of snakes that followed the comment.

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**Naruto's location(Morning)**

Naruto pursed his lips as he walked out into a small circle of trees not far from where camp was. He had left a few shadow clones behind for security reasons, but he had to go. "It's been nearly two months. I didn't expect to ever see you again." Naruto said slowly as he approached the figure who had taken to hiding in the shadows of the treeline.

Golden misty eyes pierced through the shade, their haze diffusing into the air. "I thought you would be angry... given our last encounter." the voice said, carrying through the wind.

Naruto pursed his lips at the thought, "I've had too many more important things on my mind to bother focusing on a problem that got resolved." He began sternly, his face falling into a frown. "Why are you here Rin?" he questioned, his eyes peering into the shadows.

Rin seemingly ignored his question as she stated, "You've grown up a lot since I last saw you."

Naruto's lips formed a thin line at the dodging of his question. Doubly so for the way she was addressing him. A soft caring tone that he knew would be out of place on her face if she was out of the shadows. "Erm... thanks" he said awkwardly, with a deal of stiffness.

Rin gave a weak smile as she eyed the blonde, "I'm proud of you." she commented kindly, still avoiding the former question.

Naruto's lips remained the same stiffness as he digested the woman's words. He knew his stomach had done an initial flip flop the moment she said the statement. Mainly due to the fact that is was acknowledgment that for his entire life he had wanted, yet for some reason could never obtain. Yet by the same token... this was Rin. The utter enigma that knew far too much about him and he knew nothing about her. His silent protector growing up. Always watching over him, yet never seen. At least, as he was supposed to be lead to believe.

The silence was broken by Rin's voice cutting through Naruto's train of thought, "You do realize it is dangerous out here Naruto, in Earth Country. Why have you come? The woman said quietly, as if she would disturb a sleeping figure mere inches away from her.

Naruto pursed his lips before saying, "Why wont you show your face?" He asked stubbornly. He knew it was rude, and even to an extent not called for. However after finally having a third encounter with the woman. He grew tired of his questions being written off, the enigmatic answers. She already somehow knew where he was, if she was going to question him, then he would except answers in return. "Your not the only one who can blow off questions." Naruto said with a small grin.

Rin's form visibly stiffened from the shadows and straightened up before taking a cautious step into the light. The frown across her face made it quite apparent that she didn't like the idea about being seen. "I'm hideous." she stated with conviction in her voice. Like a woman who had long since come to terms with her problems.

Naruto frowned as he took in her features once again. It was always hard to believe that this woman with silky hair and golden eyes used to be his parents friends. Her carapace like body coupled with her bone spiked wings violently protruding from her back. She didn't look like a person who had any humanity left in them. '_I wouldn't be surprised if it was far off from that...' _Naruto thought to himself with a frown.

"You're not hideous." Naruto said, trying his best to sound convincing. It was true, she wasn't hideous. In fact her face remained quite beautiful, her golden eyes serving to make her more exotic if not something akin to a goddess. The problem was that once you travel lower than her face, you realize she is anything but a goddess. "Its whats on the inside that counts." Naruto did his best to reason.

Rin however merely gave an amused smile at the comment, "Thank you Naruto... now if only the rest of the world saw the way you did. It may be a better place." Silence reigned between the two after her statement. It lingered on for a good while before Rin decided to finally answer Naruto's question. "As to why I am here? I sensed you in Earth Country, I'm here to find out why." she said in a silky smooth voice.

Naruto tensed a bit at her tone. He had grown a lot ever since he met Mei. He had battled against easy opponents. He had battled against strong opponents. However out of all of the opponents he had ever faced against, none of them were able to actually effect his seal. Everyone except for Rin. Showcasing her ability on more than one occasion to be able to alter and fix problems with his seal on short notice. Stating she wished to be a mother figure, and yet her actions stating otherwise. To say he was thinking through his answer very carefully would be an understatement. "I'm helping a friend of mine." Naruto answered, leaving out practically all of the details regarding the situation.

Naruto couldn't tell, but he knew from Rin's expression that she would have rolled her eyes just now, "Perhaps I should sit down if these are the answers I'm going to get from you." Rin said with a sigh.

Naruto pursed his lips as he watched an earthen pillar come out of the ground perfectly just behind Rin so she could sit in her 'dirt turned chair'. "Fine," Naruto began with a scowl realizing she had no intention of leaving without an adequate explanation, "My friend Hanabi, she is a Hyuuga. If she goes back to Konoha she is going to be branded with the Caged Bird Seal. I don't want that to happen." Naruto finished plainly.

Rin lips curved in amusement, "Just that simple?" she asked with a small grin as she crossed her arms over her chest. Naruto knew it was likely the first grin she had given in a long time.

"That simple." Naruto confirmed, even if he wasn't completely sure of it all himself. He would do his best to save face before this woman.

"Hmm..." Rin began as she turned her attention away from Naruto twirling her hair on a single claw like finger. "So you flee Konohagakure... into Iwagakure... with a Hyuuga." She said out loud, emphasizing every word. "You do realize Iwa is allied with Kumo correct?"

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek. What the hell did Iwagakure being allied with Kumogakure have to do with anything? Naruto shrugged his shoulders accepting the fact.

"Then you realize that by association, Iwagakure is one of the most dangerous places you could ever come with a Hyuuga?" Rin said with hardened eyes. '_Not to mention... it is the most dangerous place you could ever come to... looking like that.'_Rin finished her thought as she took in the blonde hair and blue eyes of the shinobi before her.

Naruto said nothing in response, besides the visible clenching of his fists that spoke for themselves. He hated being talked down to, and it seemed that Rin excelled at it. He knew he could list pages of random events that happened in Kirigakure. Such as the extermination of Haku's clan. He had read about many things like that in Mei's library. Yet... it was only applicable to Kirigakure, a place he had no intention of staying any longer than he had to. "I don't plan on sticking around, I'll figure something out." Naruto said with a growl.

Rin took a long moment as she merely stared at the Uzumaki, before nodding sagely. "Alright... I believe in you." Rin said with a shrug of her shoulders. An action that surprised Naruto quite a deal.

"You do?" Naruto questioned, not quite believing what he just heard.

"Not when you second guess yourself Naruto." Rin said in amusement as she flicked some dirt from beneath her nails. Naruto flushed in embarrassment at that.

'_No one believes the person that constantly needs reassurance from another.' _Naruto told himself in his head as Rin stood up from her earthen chair.

"I'll find you, and see if you need my help in a few days." she finished with a small, but caring smile.

Naruto gave a weak grin as he caught sight of her smile. He watched as Rin made her way back into the shadows of the forest, surely to vanish not much later. He could only give a weak laugh to himself as he realized, '_perhaps not every time I meet her has to be a bad encounter.'_

At least he hoped.

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**Naruto's location(Early Afternoon)**

"I'm sorry I slept in- errr... I didn't mean to I was just really tired from yesterday and wel-"

"Don't worry about it Hanabi." Naruto said dismissively as they cautiously made their way through the forests around the borders of Iwagakure. They walked along the forest floor, careful to not draw any attention to themselves. After all, getting caught by a group of Iwa shinobi was definitely not at the top of his list of things he wished to have happen to him.

Hanabi flushed, and seemed to shrink into herself at the statement. Long gone was the girl that formerly reeked of confidence and competence. What remained was a teenage girl that had talked a boy into throwing his entire life away for her. Or at least... that was what it seemed like. She had asked her friend to be in harms way for selfish reasons.

Hanabi bit her lip as she looked down as she walked along her forest floor. Her hand gripped together almost as tightly as the invisible force clutching at her chest. Light tears filled her eyes as she continued to walk along at the reality of their situation. She had jumped at the idea of running away, without an actual plan. Her lack of preparation and information had not only put herself in harms way, but the only person who went out of their way for her was stuck at her side.

Silent tear drops fell down to the dead leaves that scattered around the forest floor. The further they walked, the more the forests because to lack signs of life. The former grassy floor was quickly being replaced by dusty rock as they marched on. Dead brown grass in small areas of the forest showcasing that there at one point could have been life there. However that time was long gone.

She sighed to herself as she looked over to her traveling companion. To say he was strong was an understatement. What he was able to do to the three tailed demon on that ship... she doubted that even her father could do that. However that was raw power, she couldn't purely gauge his strength on that. After all there were plenty shinobi in the world whose strength stemmed from their intelligence and not their brawn. Still, all around she knew Naruto was a rather strong shinobi in his own right. Could he stand up to a Kage level shinobi? Of course not. Not without calling on the power of the beast inside of him. However, for some reason Hanabi knew as she gazed on the collected blonde as they continued on their path through Rock country. He may not be able to take on a shinobi of that level right now... but maybe someday.

She knew that right now, Naruto was merely a strong chunin making his own way in the world. She also concede that she was a young genin far out of place in the world.

Perhaps that was why she never saw the attack coming.

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"Kakashi we need to leave!" a red eyed woman yelled towards the silver haired man as she clutched her bleeding stomach. She had a bone spike protruding out of her shoulder as well, and it was not her own. "We can't take him along with that team... not with genin." she said through labored breaths as she huddled several exhausted and injured students behind her weakened form.

Kakashi cursed as he looked over the battlefield, and his team behind him. They were soundly defeated. It was almost disheartening at how easily he had been defeated. He fought back a grimace as he looked across towards his opponents. He liked to think he was stronger than most shinobi, yet he realized how weak he truly was when pitted against a legend. The ridiculous reality of the shinobi world is that a ninja is supposed to be stealthy and dangerous. Yet the most dangerous shinobi in the world are the most famous ones. It meant that their feats of strength had been sung far and wide by those that had opposed them. The idea of shinobi being silent assassins, working from the shadows. That concept was lost in modern times.

Kakashi tightened his jaw in anger as he laid eyes on his two students standing on the opposite side of him. He didn't know whether to be angry, or proud. They betrayed the village, for their own personal gains. Yet... they did so together, as a team and as friends. Kakashi sighed under his mask, "Fall back, I will bring up the rear." Kakashi said, just loud enough for his team to hear. Not even moments later he could hear the rustling and bursts of wind due to high speed techniques going off behind him.

Silence swept across the battlefield, along with leaves scattered around the damaged field. His eyes met with a golden snake like eye and held a strong staring contest. Kakashi eventually caved in before he turned to his students, "You will see me again." He told the two in a deathly cold voice.

Sasuke stood on shaky legs, his formerly injured arm around Sakura's neck as she helped him support his weight. The two shinobi both visibly unnerved by their sensei's parting words.

Kakashi turned toward the strongest shinobi on the battlefield, holding back his frustration that rose up in him as he looked upon the arrogant face. "I will see you again too Kabuto." Kakashi said with conviction.

Kabuto smirked, before turning into a small chuckle as the man fell into a relaxed posture. "No you wont." He responded, his golden eye gleaming brightly on the corrupted skin around his eye.

Kakashi didn't respond, and took that moment to catch up to his team. There was no reason for him to stick around and test the waters as to why he had not been killed yet.

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**9:00 PM**

Naruto stood firm as a group of prisoners began moving straight towards him. All relatively big guys, not the biggest in the prison for sure. However they easily towered over his teenage form by at least a foot and a few hundred plus pounds. They were amidst a conversation as the walked towards him, that Naruto did his best to make out through the several other prisoners scattered across the room he was in.

"Look at the blondie over there. Lookin' jus' like em. Know a lot of people 'dat would love tuh beat teh crap outta a boy lookin like dat." one of the men off to the side of the group said with a senbon toothpick in his mouth as the approached Naruto.

"Beat him is all you got?" asked another with a laugh, "I was thinking brutally torture and use as a toy... among other things." he finished giving a sickly grin showing off his yellow decaying teeth.

Naruto sneered and instantly got defensive when he heard that. A few students in his class would constantly crack jokes about the prisons scattered across the shinobi world that held dangerous criminals. Commenting how they thought the powerful shinobi that had been caught likely forced everyone to follow them around like a lost puppy. He had no intention of falling into that trap. Particularly in the "most dangerous" of the prisons in the shinobi nations.

"Hey man look, I think the runt is going to try and fight back." one of the several men said in a failed attempt to be subtle.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and fell into a defensive posture. He may not have been a shinobi for a long time, but he had good enough instincts about him from his life in Konoha to realize that they weren't coming over to him for a friendly conversation. Naruto scanned around the immediate area for anything he could use to his advantage. There were numerous tables around, some with prisoners, some without. Chairs were much the same. On the tables there weren't much, just plastic trays and plates, with the occasional metal fork. Naruto was able to note that he wasn't standing that far from a staircase, so he figured that he could perhaps use that to his advantage. Maybe he could even use the long sleeved orange jumpers they were forced to wear against his opponents. Of course this was him simply trying to develop a quick makeshift plan before the possible fight to come. When he actually got into the fight... well his plan was all relative to the situation.

"Well lets give him what this yellow flash looking fucker wants." Ground out the biggest of the group as he closed his final steps towards Naruto at a significantly quicker pace, his arms up prepared for a fight as his group flanked him.

Unknown to the combatants, their fight was being watched closely by several other parties.

Naruto clenched his teeth as the sheer size of his opponent came into view up close as he was soon to be upon him. It was almost comical as they faced each other. Naruto didn't know if his opponent felt the same way, but it was almost as if he was a child preparing to fight a walking goliath.

Time slowed down for Naruto as he analyzed his opponents, his five opponents. They all were significantly bigger than him, each of them were at least a foot taller than him, and anywhere from eighty to a hundred fifty pounds heavier than him. Naruto took a breath coming back to reality as a fist traveled for his face. It would have probably hit any normal civilian. However he was a shinobi, he was quicker than that. Naruto dodged just before the impact, allowing his first attacker's fist to fly past Naruto, throwing him almost off balance. However thankfully for the man, it didn't throw him off balance.

Naruto's vicious knee to his gut is what threw him off balance and caused him to double over. Naruto grit his teeth in a bit of pain as he realized how grave his situation was. He may be a shinobi, but there were some things that shinobi took for granted. What made shinobi warriors, and stronger than your average civilian was their ability to use chakra. They would use chakra on a subconscious level to augment their limbs and increase. It became so precise that some shinobi have even been cataloged to be able to utterly shatter the earth below them with a simply punch. Shinobi could either opt to do the hard physical work that would tone your body, but not really help in the ninjutsu department. Or they could kill two birds with one stone and train their chakra control to better enhance their physical capabilities. Most shinobi never prepare for having their chakra - their life force suppressed.

Naruto felt a light tingling in his knee as he made contact with his opponent, not used to not having chakra to support his limbs. However he didn't linger on that note as two more bulky men were coming at him, high and low this time.

Naruto jumped backwards out of the range of a sweep one of the two thugs attempted to pull of on him. Naruto knew the minute he was off his feet, this battle would be surely over. He may be a fast shinobi, but off of his feet, he would be just as slow as anybody else. Naruto stumbled back a bit from the short notice clumsy leap, his arms waving a bit as he regained his balance. The thug that was going for a hook to his face earlier while his buddy went for a sweep continued his pursuit. Which that would have been fine if Naruto didn't find him in the frustrating situation of finding himself between his opponent and a table & chair.

Naruto with some quick thinking on his feet purposely made a preemptive dodge that sent his head low as if he was pulling of a defensive version of a skilled fighters feint. Something he had picked up after hours upon hours of practice fighting his own clones. However truthfully for Naruto, it was very simple. It was bait. Bait which his opponent took, not having the instincts of a shinobi or a hunter to be able to see it for what it was.

The thug switched his former idea from a right hook, to a low uppercut with his left hand. In theory it would have worked marvelously if it wasn't already expected by Naruto. Naruto nearly put himself in a fighters "No mans land" as he got down very low performing another quick maneuver just slightly to side of the incoming punch. He was quick to use one of his feet and kick back with it, kicking a chair slightly off the ground. The ultimate result happened too quick for many of the untrained eyes in the room.

The man's hand slid through one of the bar columns in the chair that was slightly shorter than the table when it's legs were on the ground. Then in an instant, Naruto lifted his leg with practiced ease, and came down hard on the chair. With the man having his arm extended over the top of the table and having the chair being viciously brought back down to earth. It was a surprise that a sickening crack signifying a breaking arm was all that was heard throughout the room.

Unfortunately for Naruto. His other opponents hadn't just been standing around as this was going on. Naruto was roughly grabbed by the back of his jumper, and had little time to react before he was sailing through the air, landing harshly on a table in someone's late night mashed potatoes, with a metal fork getting stuck in the underside of his arm.

Naruto gave a gasp of pain, but forced himself to spring back up, not going to be able to finish his battle on his back. Naruto knew his opponents had to be civilians for the simple fact that they weren't even near him yet. They were strutting over arrogantly. They obviously hadn't gone through any training to teach them to press any advantage they could get. Naruto grinned to himself a bit at that. His win, their loss. That was fine with him. And with that Naruto withdrew the fork from his arm.

Naruto kicked a nearby chair along the ground sending it hurling violently at two of his three remaining opponents. The one it missed was probably the smallest of his enemies, but that didn't say he still wasn't significantly bigger than him. Naruto rushed the man as he took the time to get over his partners, and the chair that were now in his way.

The man gave a clumsy attack with unsure footing as he was still in the process of crossing over the chair as Naruto came upon him. The attack was easily deflected by Naruto which left him completely open. Naruto sent a single quick jab to the concave of his opponents chest. And while light, the punch utterly rendered the man useless, doubled over in pain. Nausea, dizziness, and pain flooding the man's senses leaving him barely conscious.

Naruto looked over a few tables to where he was standing mere moments ago, where his first actual opponent had finally regained some of his breath. Naruto grit his teeth, and quickly made his way over, realizing that the two men that had been hit by the chair likely wouldn't be getting up for a moment with a near hurling man and a chair on top of them.

The large man had no time to react as Naruto was upon him. Naruto stabbed the fork that he had been holding back into the man's gut, doubling him over once again. Before he sent a sudden punch down on the side of his face, that sent him slamming into the floor cracking several tiles on the impact. Naruto took a moment afterwards to catch his breath and relax a bit knowing the fight was over as far as he could tell.

This feat of strength didn't get unnoticed by everyone.

"You fucking little shit." was the voice that appeared behind Naruto. The voice of the man who had just had his arm broken by some creative chair use.

Naruto spun around in attempt to get out of the way from whoever was behind him, but to his surprise, it was not what he expected. There stood the man with the broken arm, he spare one raised with a makeshift prison knife. Which in reality was just a large nail, a stick, and some wire. However it was more than enough to kill a person. Although what caught Naruto's attention more was the hulking man that stood beside him, holding the thug's arm back.

"I know you..." Naruto said in surprise as he recognized the man's face.

The hulking man gave a grin, and his nostrils flared with a bit of smoke from the cigar protruding from his mouth. "Yo..."

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Alright. The chapter is done. Admittedly it is a bit short, and that is mainly just because this bit of the story has been a bit awkward to write. I know the places that I am going, and where they need to be and when. However the traveling segments are always a bit awkward to keep fun and interesting, while at the same time not taking the simple "Okay time skip, Naruto is in prison, Hanabi is somewhere else, Oh btw? They are in Iwagakure. However now with the "Traveling" being over. The chapters should be easier and less awkward to write and I can really begin to develop the places they are in.

And I just want to apologize if chapters take long to write sometimes. It is tough writing at times when you as the writer have "Written" the entire story in your mind already. Because once you have done that a lot of the magic of discovering new things is just gone. The excitement is gone. It is hard to really want to sit down and write out full chapters of a story that you already essentially "know". Like while it isn't on paper for all of you to see, I already know everything that is going to happen. So at times I will find myself floating through new story ideas rather than boring myself with stuff I already know.

Anyways reviews are always helpful with the story. Especially in the coming chapters. I'd like some opinion's on Rin's brief intro in this chapter, because she plays a bigger role in the coming chapters. However it has been so long since you have seen her, I really needed to put her in somewhere. Add to the fact that she is a rather enigmatic character that as of now has been sort of just "In the right place at the right time" a lot. I don't want to utilize her too much until the time is right, because her being able to pop up in the oddest of places is well... odd. Anyways all reviews are welcome. I will be interested as to what you think of the characters and story elements that come into play in the coming chapters.

I hope to hear from you.

-Bleed


	24. This May Be The Beginning

****Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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**Present Time**

The large man gave an equally large grin as he looked around to all of the men scattered around in pain. "Awww come on now boys. Can't go beatin' up the new comers now." the main said with a grin showing off some slightly yellow teeth as smoke once again spewed out of his nostrils. He turned to Naruto with a glint of amusement and respect in his eyes before motioning with his head, "Come on kid."

Naruto stiffened weary of the larger man. It was obvious that this man didn't fear him in the slightest. He was talking in a casual, almost bored tone. As if his previous feat of taking on five opposing guys was nothing even remotely noteworthy in his eyes. Naruto clenched his jaw and looked around the room before the reality really sunk in. He truly had no one he could turn to. A sea of unknown faces was as far as he could see expanded over the room they were in. The guards walks on metal walkways above the prisoners, looking down condescending on all of them, him included.

Naruto reluctantly followed knowing it probably wouldn't be in his best interest to intentionally try and get into a fight if he could prevent it. Before he was defending himself against hostile opponents. However there were ancient stories throughout history, some even dating back before the shinobi nations were even formed. A time where all of the different shinobi nations fell back on religious beliefs, and stories were about powerful gods that walked the lands. The "Gods" each had several temples built in their honor, and were worshiped by many far and wide. However when the Sage of the Six Paths came around and was able to dissuade all of it as nonsense, simply stating that the "Gods" they worshiped were in reality just a few choice lucky individuals that were born with unique gene mutations, bloodlines. Now the stories of "The Thunder Caller" or "The Goddess of Love" were written off as children stories.

However the specific story that flooded into Naruto's mind was vivid in his mind as he walked cautiously behind the large man who walked through the crowded prison complex without fear of the stares he was getting from other inmates. The story of the Love Goddess' son, and his death. The son of the Love Goddess was a skilled hunter, probably the most skilled in all of the lands with his bow. From the moment he was born, he obtained all of the attention his mother had to give. Naturally this created quite a deal of jealousy by many. However the son remained unfazed. His mother had taken up the trade of hunting in order to spend more time with her son. She admittedly wasn't very good, and perhaps that was why the son never listened to his mother's single word of advice on the subject.

She told her son very carefully to "Don't hunt the animal that doesn't fear you."

The boy one day was walking along in the jungle, and found a single large monkey. The monkey appeared absolute ridiculous to the son, trying desperately to use a large stick to push some type of tiger skin over his head. When the monkey caught sight of the son whom had an arrow ready to fire. He did not turn and run from the son. Instead he simply cast the tiger pelt aside, and pointed a thin stick at the son of the goddess.

The son lost his life that day, the monkey's stick had extended and pierced right through the son's skull. The son had attempted to fight the immortal Monkey King Enma.

Naruto shook his head from the childhood story that had been told in the orphanage when he was growing up. He looked forward to the muscled figure before him. It was generally a smart idea for a shinobi to not engage in combat with an opponent that doesn't fear you. Because that often meant that they were stronger than you.

Naruto looked around and realized the further and further they walked, the more and more women appeared huddled in smaller groups together at the edge of the outside grounds of the prison. It wasn't long before Naruto saw the man before him flop down heavily onto a mound of rocks and relax back into them, extending his massive form over them with a sigh. He gave an overly loud yawn into the night as he stretched under the dim light that caked over the yard. He grabbed off a decent sized stone off the pile and crushed it in a single hand with a groan, before dusting his hands off making a small cloud of smoke.

A feminine cough brought Naruto aware of his surroundings. He instantly caught sight of a recognizable head of blue hair... almost indigo in color. As the face came in to view, he instantly recognized the person.

The woman reared her hand before harshly smacking the man across the gut, to no effect. "Honestly... you disgusting inconsid..." she took a pause as she took sight of the blonde before her. "Who did you drag back with you now? Another stray?" she asked coldly in an annoyed voice, eying Naruto before turning to the man beside you.

The large man bellowed a laugh, "No no no Rei!" he replied still laughing at the indigo haired woman. "He's for you." the man said still chuckling deeply.

Naruto didn't even get the time to comment before Rei instantly rounded on him. She picked up a near by stone, and threw it harshly towards Naruto, before launching herself up whipping around with a backhand. Although, the blonde indeed surprised her with his actions.

Naruto saw the stone coming easily, and manipulated the little bit of chakra he had that was seeping through the restraints on him. He casually dodge the rock by slightly tilting his head to the side. He then clutched the woman's incoming hand in his own with ease. While she had good form, Naruto knew that her physical strength could only take her so far against a person that could actually use a bit of chakra.

Rei's eyes widened as she turned to the muscled man beside her who rested leaning backwards with his hands crossed over his chest with a grin. "Tamazaki... what is this." She said with narrowed eyes as she went between Naruto and the newly defined man with her gaze.

Tamazaki grinned broadly, "So you see." he stated as he removed the cigar from his mouth. He flicked a good amount of ash off the end as he tapped it on one of the many stones he was using as a makeshift couch. "You're gonna be babysitting. Make sure you keep the boy out of the pits or solitary, all that jazz. Just don't attract attention Missy." He finished waving his hand dismissively.

Rei's eyes narrowed harshly, "Babysitting?" She questioned with gritted teeth. Although it was as if her voice fell on deaf ears in regards to Tamazaki as he began to cat call.

"Oh com'on now baby! Don' be like dat! You know you loved my company." He yelled across the field with a huge grin on his face, his lips curling around his cigar in the process.

Naruto watched the scene play out before him in general interest, trying to figure out what exactly they were trying to do, and why they were talking about him.

Rei took no time in sending a vicious punch down into the man's gut, the speed and power behind it alone making Naruto wince a bit at the impending impact. However the moment it hit, it merely made the man turn to his attacker with a grin.

"I told you I was right." he said with a shit eating grin as he looked down at the woman's fist. "I'm a man of steel, and the ladies can't keep their hands off me.!" he proclaimed loudly in a cocky tone. "But please Rei, not in front of the kids." he continued on in his own little world.

Rei's lips curled in anger as she retracted her hand, a redness appearing on her knuckles as if she had hit a brick wall. "You're the one that grabbed the stray, you can watch him. I'm going back to the cell." She said dryly before quickly turning on her heel, fully intent on leaving the large man behind.

"Oh no you don't princess!" he yelled out quickly as he leaned forward just in time to snatch the wrist of the indigo haired woman. "You have to watch him, he was already in a fight just a few minutes ago. Can't be having that."

Naruto finally decided to cut into the conversation, not understanding what was entirely going on. "What?" he asked in confusion. "I don't even know you two, what do you want with me?" He ask cautiously.

Tamazaki relaxed back throwing his hands up in exasperation before extending his arms across the rocks, "See what I have to deal with. You need to be with the kid."

Rei rolled her eyes, "Well you wouldn't be dealing with him if you dumped him on my shoulders now would you?" She drawled as she gave the cigar smoker a pointed look.

Although that didn't stop him from giving a shit eating grin as he proclaimed, "It's genius isn't it?" He said finishing in a smirk.

Rei scowled at that, "Your orphan, your problem. Don't mind me, I'm going back to the cage." Rei said dryly.

This comment seemed to bring a frown to Meshi's face, "Why can't you call it 'The Lair' the cage sounds so... lame..." he muttered to himself. Although there was a hint of amusement in his eyes, it was hard to tell if he was serious or not.

Rei took a deep breath and turned quickly on her heel, marching off, "Its a cage." she retorted in annoyance.

Meshi grinned at her retreating form, not caring in the slightest he was obviously watching her backside. "Hate to see them go... love to watch them leave..." he muttered with a grin as he shook his head looking down suppressing a bit of laughter.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the man before him curiously. Things simply weren't adding up from when he had met them before. He could understand this man, Meshi in the prison. After all he looked quite a bit like a prisoner. However... the woman being in here as well didn't make sense to him.

"So kid, whats yah name." Meshi asked as he leaned back across the rocks once again. Naruto took note that a few women that were idly keeping their distance when Rei was around were now making their way over. Some even being bold enough to sit on the rocks around Meshi.

"Naruto..." Naruto stated with a cautious gaze. The man didn't seem violent, or evil in any way. However... deception is a shinobi's greatest tool.

The man gazed up at Naruto's face, "Namikaze by chance?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow. Naruto tensed up immediately at his father's last name. Naruto instantly began to panic a bit inside.

'This guy knows way too much!' Naruto thought with a freight. He pulled the best lie he could make given his distress, "Who?" Naruto asked in fake confusion.

Meshi Tamazaki smiled, "Not every day Iwagakure finds a young blonde haired, blue eyed shinobi barely in his teens from Konohagakure."

Naruto held his ground under the man's gaze, "Sorry, but my name is Uzumaki Naruto. As far as I know, I'm an orphan."

Tamazaki's eyes widened a bit in surprise before he leaned in towards Naruto in interest. "Uzumaki you say? I don't suppose you know anything about your family trade that could help me with this." he stated before he lifted up his orange pant leg revealing a metal bracelet strapped to his ankle.

Naruto scowled a bit at that and repeated, "Orphan." with conviction.

Tamazaki's eyes softened at that as he dropped his pant leg, leaning back once again. There was a bit of silence between the two of them before Meshi spoke, staring off across the grounds. "I'm going to cut to the chase..." He began in a low tone, "I want your help. I saw you use chakra despite having that bracelet on." He finished in a whisper as he locked eyes with Naruto, being mindful of the women closing in around him.

Naruto stood his ground as Meshi continued.

"What do you want most kid?" he took a pause for dramatic effect, knowing Naruto likely wouldn't be able to answer that instantly off the top of his head. "Ill tell you what you want. You want freedom." Meshi said calmly as he took to staring up toward the sky with his head back. "There is nothing a person wants more than their freedom. Often times people will take their freedom for granted. However it is said that a person can never really know themselves until their freedom has been taken away." Meshi turned to gaze at Naruto once again, "Do you desire freedom?"

Naruto's jaw clenched briefly before he spoke, "Freedom isn't at the top of the list for me."

Meshi's eyes narrowed ever slightly, for once a smile disappearing from his face for a brief moment, "Oh and what do you hold above your freedom? What goals could you ever achieve if you weren't free?" Meshi questioned coldly.

Naruto pursed his lips at that. That part was right. The things he needed to do couldn't be accomplished from a prison cell.

Naruto's stiffened posture spoke volumes for how he felt about Meshi's words.

"So now that we both know what our goals are... tell me kid. How did you get in here?"

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_Naruto awoke with a groan, a sharp blaring pain in his head. His vision was blurry as he slowly opened his eyes with a lack of focus. His vision had tents of red in it. He reached up in pain to rub his eye only to reveal his forehead and face was covered in blood. Naruto grit his teeth as he picked himself off of the cold floor he was formerly laying on to get a sense of his surroundings. He wiped a few strands of bloody hair out of his face. After all it had been awhile since he had the opportunity to get a hair cut._

_Naruto pushed himself off of the ground only to realize with enough senses of his surroundings that the ground he was on was in fact moving. If only slowly. Cold iron bars surrounded him in a cage eerily similar to a prison he had visited not that long ago. A single slip of paper was holding the gate of the cage closed. Naruto clenched his fists as his vision began to come to him in full and he caught sight of several shinobi around him as they transported him in a cage. Not far from his current prison was a cage that held a familiar head of black hair that was currently laying down. _

_He could hear the voices of strangers protruding through the rhythmic marching of feet, "So boss what are the plans for these two?" was the questioned that came out in a bellowing voice. It wouldn't be hard to imagine the voice belonging to a rather fat man._

_"Well the boy? He's nothing special as far as I can see. We can just drop him off at the prison or The Depths when we go by." was the calm, rather uncaring reply from a female, presumably the leader._

_"Prison," a voice corrected with conviction. Naruto's eyes widened briefly as he sat up fully, he recognized that voice. That was the Iwagakure squad leader that he had encounter when he rescued Hanabi._

_The cages suddenly jerked to a halt as their march stopped. "Excuse me?" questioned the female voice harshly._

_There was a brief period of silence before the Iwagakure squad leader Yuuta spoke, "The boy should go to prison. Those pits are no place for a child." he said, this time significantly more cautiously._

_The convoy began moving once again, and the woman's voice said, "We will drop him off where I please." she finished coldly. The group continued their march for a long while, the surrounding people likely not wanting to talk when their boss appeared mad. However they knew that eventually other matters would have to be addressed. That was when one brave soul spoke up._

_"And the girl?"_

_The woman didn't even hesitate in her step as she said, "Will be addressed the moment your guards can sufficiently keep a child in a cage unconscious." she said evenly._

_Naruto froze at that, but he didn't even have a second to react before a senbon needle was found stuck in his neck before he fell into blissful unconsciousness._

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Naruto's jaw tightened at the memory that shot through him like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. He stayed silent, not giving Meshi a word, and merely stared at the large man opposing him.

Meshi eventually conceded, "That's fine. You'll tell me eventually." Tamazaki said with a shrug of the shoulders. He lifted his gargantuan form off of the rubble before calmly marching his way forward. "Com'on kid. We gotta catch up to 'Touchy'." Meshi said with a grin as he made his way past Naruto.

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"Anyways kid, as you will begin to realize there are some rules you need to follow in this place. Rules I'ma have Rei teach you. But in the mean time I will give you the quick run down. Here look around kid." Meshi said in his stride through various areas of the prison. "You don't look like the prison type. Frankly you don't even look like the type that has even done a crime in his life." Meshi continued as they strode back through the cafeteria area Naruto had his earlier encounter in.

Naruto snorted a bit at that. On paper he hadn't committed many crimes, and knowingly he hadn't attempted many crimes. However as he walked along and had the moment to reflect on his life thus far. Vandalism, murder, desertion... treachery. He had his own list of crimes regardless of his young age.

Meshi caught the snort from Naruto and a grin came to his face. "But all of that is beside the point. Look alive Naruto. See that table over there?" He gestured to a table with a large group of men and women circled around a rather old looking male. However one thing stood out as uniform amongst the group. Their pale skin and blue hair with silver eyes. When Meshi noticed they caught Naruto's attention, he continued. "A civilian family oddly enough. With a will stronger than steel. However legend says this family was once long ago referred to as the Immortal Lions. Never known for a brand of skills, but were always revered as fearsome. They now reside here, their freedom stripped from them by the second Tsuchikage. Iwagakure tries to recruit them as shinobi. However unwilling shinobi never work. So the majority of the family resides in this prison. Naturally they have grown over the years. Some say they intend to revolt some time... but... under their watchful eye?" Meshi took pause in his stride to turn to Naruto and gesture to a balcony above the prison ground. Up above there were several well dressed individuals in expensive robes, accompanied by obviously high ranking shinobi. "Not likely." Meshi finished with a laugh before he continued walking.

"So then we have this charming group of thugs, you met some of them earlier..." Meshi trailed off on another explanation, that Naruto tuned out a bit. Opting to just observe. As they walked along Naruto came to realize that if they was a black spot in the shinobi nations? This was likely it. Simple explanations couldn't truly describe the type of people that surrounded them. In order to really understand someone, Naruto found out from a young age that he needed to look them in the eyes. Everywhere he looked there was loathing, hatred, lust, envy, greed. Women whom seemed less than comfortable with their situations. Men constantly looking over their shoulders.

It was at that moment Naruto caught site of a small group of four prisoners covered in dirt. Their skin gray with dust. Almost tribal markings made all over their bodies in red paint... if that was really paint. They were dragged along by a guard, their hands and feet in shackles. Fear was evident on their faces as they turned a corner, out of the prison grounds.

"And what of them?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow as they walked a long, carefully keeping his distance from the larger man. While he had been helpful, they had after all just met.

Meshi didn't seem to notice Naruto's posture, or at least didn't seem to care. "They... are someone you don't want to be. In fact, they are the reason Rei is gonna be looking afta' yah."

Naruto frowned, "Why wouldn't you want to be them. It looks like they are being taken off of the grounds. Probably the best chance to escape a person has. They look awfully depressed for that." Naruto stated in a bored tone, being mindful of the people walking around above him.

It was Meshi's turn to snort in amusement. "Yeah well considering that they are probably going to be dead in a couple hours? I'd be depressed too. I'd miss all the lovely things out in the world." Naruto was able to note that Meshi at that moment gave a bright smile to a woman sitting in a mixed group in the center of the room they passed through.

"Right..." Naruto said dryly, already getting a feel of what type of guy Meshi was. "So where are they being taken then?" Naruto asked with a sigh as he followed Meshi around a corner hall that was lined with cells. "Can't be much worse than this..." Naruto muttered as an after thought.

Tamazaki shook his head as he stopped before a cell, which Rei resided in sitting on her bed reading a book. "They are goin' to The Pits." Meshi finished in a remorseful tone. Before Naruto could respond though, Meshi banged on the bars of the cell, "Hey princess, watch the boy. I have shit to do." he said as he gestured his thumb back down the hallway, a grin on his face all the while.

Rei gained an annoyed look, but refused to look up from the book, "Whores?" she quipped back dryly.

Meshi's grin dropped at that and formed into a frown. He however recovered, "Lighten up, grow up, and watch the kid." Meshi finished rather coldly before turning his attention to Naruto. "And you need to lay low for awhile. So you both need to stay here alright?" he asked while yanking open the cage and walking off down the hallway not bothering to wait for an answer before leaving a fuming Rei who had since dropped her book into her lap.

It was only a few moments more before Rei gave a huff of annoyance before sharply turning to Naruto. "Well get in here then, and be quiet," She said in aggravation.

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Up in the balconies above the prisoners a small group of expensively dressed individuals gathered around. They followed behind an elderly man being lead throughout the complex. They were all amidst their own conversations with one another, but the topic was all the same. The prisoners, or more importantly their 'worth'.

"Well..." croaked out the elderly man in the front of the group. "I must say that the wares supplied here have greatly diminished from what they used to be in war times. There are very few that I believe would attract your interest." the man said in strained voice courtesy of his old age.

A man with black hair in his late forties moved in closer to the elderly man, a young beautiful blonde woman on his arm. "You are too hard on yourself dear Hideki. Let us see your wares." That commented seemed to bring a smile to the old man's face as they carried along, "Thank you Hayate. I do my best to weed out the ones of worth, as did my father before me. I trust that your previous purchases have served you well?" the elderly man trailed off as they rounded a corner on the upper platform.

Meanwhile a young male in his mid thirties with brown hair walked along, a mild distance behind their elderly escort. Beside him was a lovely blue haired, silver eyed woman dressed in an elegant dress that walked along at the man's side.

"A fucking mockery..." the man grumbled as he trailed behind the people in front of him.

"Oh hold your tongue husband." the woman said quickly as she squeezed the man's hand in her own gently.

"Every quarter he licks all the right assholes he needs to in order to get ahead of me in selections. Then he buys out all of the fucking stock, and poorly trains them so their blood can be the newest addition to the fucking pits. Half the men in these cells could club Hayate's men to death with their cocks alone." he finished bitterly in a stressed tone.

"Noburu please, calm yourself." the man's wife said in a gentle voice as they followed along as the men before them continued to point out and comment about various prisoners as they walked overhead.

Eventually after walking along in silence, the old man realized he wasn't simply with the black haired man, and turned to Noburu. "Oh forgive me Noburu-kun. My my, you grow every time I see you. So much like your father. Glad to see you continue the family business running."

Noburu gave a strained smile, obviously not too keen on being referred to with the given suffix. "Well someone has to keep the markets running at an acceptable level. Not ridden with the inferior stock we have been forced to take notice of in our games against Ame, Kusa and Kumo."

Hayate's lips curled into a sneer at the remark, "Yes perhaps this year you will be able to participate past the preliminaries old friend. That is of course only if you can get a reasonable size of stock," he finished in a knowing tone.

Noburu saved face as he put his hands on his hips briefly in mock embarrassment, "Oh no worries Hayate. Feel free to take your pick. I have always preferred quality over quantity, I know you prefer the later over the former."

Hayate merely gave a fake smile, "Yes well your statement would hold true if you possessed either quality or quantity. However with the death of your dear 'Animal Spirit' I believe you have neither. However if you are truly in a tight spot good friend, all you and your lovely wife have to do is ask." Hayate turned to gaze into the woman's silver eyes. "After all the Animal Spirit wasn't the only unique and valuable thing you held close."

Noburu clenched his fists and jaw, but his wife's hand on his shoulder stopped him from leaping into action. He righted himself with a deep breath, "I'm not in need of charity Hayate. Money is not the only thing required to be in this business." Noburu said roughly as he made his way past the man.

Hayate however gave a mocking laugh as Noburu walked by, "Unless you own the entire business... then other talents don't matter." he took a moment to take a long gaze at the silver eyed woman, "Isn't that right Sora? Only possessions matter." A frown graced her once passive face at that comment, but that didn't stall Hayate in the slightest. "Well I merely came here to say hello to old friends. I have already made my purchases as I am sure you will soon find out. Perhaps you will find something to your liking that I missed. Good day old friend." Hayate finished in a condescending tone as he brushed past the couple.

Noburu cursed to himself briefly before allowing himself to follow after Hideki and their brief trip around the compound.

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Flip.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Flip.

Naruto rolled his eyes as the fell on the woman sitting on the bed opposite from him, "So that is what you do all day? Obnoxiously tap your fingers, and read books?" Naruto asked bitterly, fed up with the past thirty minutes of silence save for the rhythm of the tapping fingers produced by the girl across from him.

Rei didn't respond, simply opting to turn another page in the book, the slightest bit of annoyance flashing across her face in the process.

Naruto stood up with his hands on his waist, getting stir crazy, "Do you speak?"

The silence that followed was the straw that broke the camel's back for Naruto.

"Alright, well you keep turning those pages. I hear that is a very useful skill to have. In the meantime? I'm going to find my fucking way out of here." Naruto finished in anger as he roughly slid open the barred door open before stepping out.

"Whatever." Rei said noncommittally as she flipped another page in her book.

Naruto looked over his shoulder for a brief moment giving a huff of amusement realizing that 'Whatever' was the only word he had been able to get out of her in the past half hour. He rolled his eyes lightly as he exited the holding cell, intent on finding an escape route. And with that thought in mind, he made his way back down the hall to the cafeteria.

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**A couple hours later.**

Meshi sighed heavily as he made his way back to the cell he left the children in. And he was simply thankful that for once in the time he had spent in here... again... that it was in fact a happy contented sigh. He knew from the moment that he saw that boy, Naruto, that there was something special about him, something unique. But he couldn't quite place his finger on it. All he knew at the time that the boy had to be special to take on those thugs easily. It was only after getting to know the kid that he saw the truth of the situation.

In a maximum security prison for the greatest of traitors, guarded by the most advanced and deadly shinobi from across the shinobi nations. It is wildly believed that their security system and methods of containment were flawless. And if Meshi were to be honest? He would say they were right. There had been two escapes from the prison in history. He was one of them. The chakra restraints they invented to contain the prisoners were constantly adapting and are constantly at the peak of their technology. So in reality their system was flawless. The idea that some boy would ever walk in to the prison willingly or unwillingly with chakra levels high enough to overflow the chakra suppressing bracelets was unheard of. And that was why no one but him was much the wiser.

So suddenly his plan to escape that was formerly virtually impossible was now just virtually impossible to fail. All he needed to do was to keep the new kid under wraps for a brief period of time, and teach him a few things about the lay out of the area. Then once they made an unexpected and easy escape, they would be home free. And while he hadn't been able to gleam a lot of information of Naruto from their short conversations. He was able to gather enough information to know that the boy had no desire to be here and was going to be doing whatever he could to get out. So they were both of the same page.

Meshi looked down to a small rolled up piece of paper clutched in his hand as he made it back to his cell. This single piece of paper would have probably sentenced him to permanent solitary confinement. But he wasn't afraid of getting caught. The guards around this place felt a lot like the prisoners. They wanted to leave. And as such they were often slacking, not really paying attention, not stopping fights until the very last second. After all, why do that when you could play cards or dice or something like that? After all, they were far more fun. So as Meshi turned down one of the many halls in his giant cage, he unrolled the piece of paper clutched in his grasp.

It was a map. But this map wasn't just any map. It wasn't a treasure map that would lead a person to be a pirate king. It wasn't a map that would show the location of every living being in some ancient castle. No this map was far more simple than that, and yet for Meshi Tamazaki it was also far more valuable. It was a map of the prison. All of the cells, all of the quarters, all of the guard posts. Every single nook and cranny of his prison was laid out right before his eyes, numerous ways to make his escape were filing into his brain for later use. And one may ask how he came across this map?

Simple. A bribe. The guards that worked here made little money for the risk they took every single day simply being here guarding the prisoners. If that "Flawless" system were to crumble? And the prisoners were allowed to rampage? The guards would surely be killed. In all honesty, it would have been far easier for them to simply become bakers and get the same pay. All Meshi had to do was offer the slightest amount of cash to be rewarded if he was able to make his escape, and he was golden. And besides despite being a convict, when it comes to deals made with Meshi Tamazaki? He always paid his debts. So as he approached his cell, you could say he was a rather satisfied man. There was nothing that could go wrong.

He at that point made a sharp turn directly into an open cell, his eyes solely focused on the map in his hands. He muttered out loud, "I found a way out of here." He said in a calm voice as he gave a final scan of the map.

Rei, the young woman that had just been laying back reading sprung up in an instant with a quick, "What?" she asked in surprise.

Meshi finally looked up and scanned around the room for his ace in the hole, and a sudden feeling of dread crept up his spine. "Where is the boy..." He stated out loud to himself quietly.

Rei appeared rather disinterested, "You come in here saying you have a way out of this dump, and you ask for the blonde midget you found less than twenty-four hours ago?" Rei drawled in an amused tone.

Meshi scowled as he tossed the map to the side onto a bed as his happy exterior suddenly became cold and ridged. "This isn't a time for jokes Rei, where the hell is that kid Naruto? I told you specifically to watch him. Where is he?" Meshi began to demand in a frustrated tone.

Rei looked taken aback and perplexed by the sudden shift in attitude, and if she was honest with herself she was a tad bit afraid, "Uhh... I don't know, he said he was going to go find a wa-"

Meshi gave her the darkest look that clearly stated, 'Are you stupid?' "I told you to watch him. What the hell were you thinking? He just says he's going to find a way out of here, and you just let the kid go? Imagine if I let your stupid self do that your first day here, where would you end up?" he finished in a rather condescending tone. Meshi proceeded to shrug his shoulders roughly as he took a deep breath and said, "Get up, we need to find the kid. Hopefully you acting like you are five didn't end up costing us everything."

Rei straightened up at the insult with a scowl, "It seems someone is still bitter that I put him in here." she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Meshi scoffed as he stepped out of the cell, "Please don't try and act like this has anything to do with you capturing me."

Rei followed suit with a roll of the eyes as she soon fell in step with her unlikely partner as they made, "Right you're just being up tight for no apparent reason, I understand." She commented, layering on the sarcasm.

Meshi scowled but didn't say anything as they continued walking along, subconsciously wondering why he put up with the girl. "I liked it better when you were quiet." he grumbled as he ground his molars together.

"And I liked it better when I wasn't in prison. But we can't have what we want." Rei snapped back at her built partner. "So instead of searching for the runt, how about you tell me how we're getting out of here." she drawled on from the man's side.

Meshi frown increased as they continued to walk, "That kid, Naruto. He was our way out. If we don't find him though..." Meshi left the sentence open for her to fill it in however she liked. He had no intention of _not_ finding Naruto. So it didn't matter how his statement finished.

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Alright well I have honestly been sitting on this bit of text for a few months. It in truth is an unfinished chapter that I am releasing. I don't know if I will be able to continue this story still. The reason for this is simply that the story is just going to get harder and harder from this point. The introduction of OCs, and rather obscure plots that honestly aren't seen that often in Naruto fan fiction makes it a bit of a pain.

That said I will try my best.

However I am getting back into the swing of writing. In fact if you enjoy my writing or my stories. I have about 60k words of a Naruto x Highschool of the Dead crossover that I will be posting over the next short period of time. So if you are interested in those two series, I suggest checking it out. I can promise that it is nothing like what has been seen in that category thus far.

Anyways still getting back into the swing of writing. Perhaps I will indeed actually be able to write up some stuff for this story. Or alternatively some of Consequences of an Honest Enemy. All I know is that I will be posting a story for the time being, and while it may not be this one? I am just happy to be back writing. Thank you everyone who has decided to stick with me over all of this time.

This chapter replaced what was formerly chapter 24.


	25. An Explanation and An Apology

It is with great regret that late at night as I'm writing this, I have come to realize something about not just this particular story, but a couple of my stories. I don't believe I will be able to continue them.

For the longest time, people have asked me, "Hey it has been a couple years, are you going to update Consequences of an Honest Enemy?" or...

"Hey I love Freedom Has A Price, but I see you updating other stories, do you know when the next chapter of Freedom Has A Price will come out?"

And the truth was that I always wanted to say soon. I always wanted to be able to release a chapter soon. Yet the truth of the matter is that when I started these stories? Started truly writing on this site at a respectable level? I was fifteen, sixteen years old. In addition to that, I was skipping school a lot and frankly just didn't care. I had the time to write all I wanted, without a worry in the world.

However now I'm older, and I've lived a bit more. I have a job, and I have a life and things that I am committed to. With all of these things? Writing has slowly been pushed onto the back seat, as well as other things such as gaming(which is important, and I'll get to that in a minute.)

Fanfiction however will always hold a place that is near and very dear to my heart. You see, I was never big on reading. The reason being, until about 6th... 7th... maybe 8th grade. I couldn't really read. I was the kid that was smart enough to get by in my classes through clever tricks and concepts, but I never learned the core fundamentals. So eventually a time caught up to me where I was the kid at the front of the class, called up to read, and it was terror trying to get through a single paragraph.

And even books like Harry Potter were too challenging for me to read even if I wanted to learn. So I resigned to reading comic books, one of which was Inuyasha. Through Inuyasha, I ended up stumbling upon fanfiction and Naruto. And it is through Naruto fanfiction that I truly taught myself to read. (The sad fact was that Fanfiction at that time was unique enough and cool enough to keep me interested, but the writing was bad enough that I could still pick it up without trouble.)

So the fact that I essentially learned to read on here, and through that, write is very important to me.

However once again that brings me to now. Fanfiction has changed from when I was younger, and writing. Now I know the majority of the story ideas and concepts, and a lot of them are no longer original to me, which was a big source of my inspiration to start writing. To try and find a story that was good, or a cool idea, and then try and improve on that idea.

I have essentially ceased playing video games, which was another huge source of inspiration for me. I remember playing Final Fantasy X as a kid, not being able to read, but being the first fully voiced game with an amazing story? I practically cried at the end, not just because it was sad, but because I felt so accomplished. I was no longer the kid that needed his dad to read him a game guide so that he could get through Zelda The Ocarina of Time.

And then finally, as I grew older, I started to really fall in love with countless TV series. I could list them, but frankly the list would just be too long. From UK shows to American television, to even some more obscure shows from around the globe. I've seen them. And they inspired me heavily in my writing as I grew older.

So I supposed I should touch on **Freedom Has A Price and Consequences of an Honest Enemy**? That is what you are all here for correct?

Well **Freedom Has A Price** initially just started out because I hit a writers block with Consequences of an Honest Enemy. I wrote myself into a corner, that I didn't know where to go from that point on.

What I initially wanted to do with **Consequences of an Honest Enemy** was to take Naruto, Kabuto, Tayuya, and Karin, and have them set sail from the Elemental Nations for an arc. Have them enter a Far East land.

This land was going to be heavily inspired by Final Fantasy 11's Aht Urhgan. With monsters, puppeteers, and very primal types of magic/abilities to expand upon the Naruto universe. The idea that there are many different types of warriors out there, and that they just didn't know it because they were so caught up in the wars amongst themselves.

And I was going to write in a big bad villain that was going to be reminiscent of the historical pirate Blackbeard. And it would be in this arc that Naruto ends up losing Sasori's journal, and where Naruto would have to come to terms with the fact that he needs to step out of Sasori's shadow. That he can be a great leader in his own right, and a great shinobi.

It is here that Naruto would rise up to contest this Blackbeard like character for control of the seas. And then only then at the end of the arc would Naruto return to the Elemental nations. This Naruto would bring back goods, and use his fleet to free the Mist from Tyranny. He would utilize his resources build a railroad that would go through the elemental nations. And it is through this that Naruto would be able to take over Kumo before the shinobi world would even recognize this terror that Naruto has slowly began to unleash upon the Elemental Nations. And his plans conflict entirely with Madara, and the Elemental Nations is torn as they are forced to choose between a lesser of two evils.

That was Consequences of an Honest Enemy. However a plot so grand in scale ended up intimidating me from writing it, and I just copped out and sent Naruto to the Mist. Yet since that was not my original intention? I didn't know what to do from that point on, and the story just sort of sat there.

So now **Freedom Has A Price** was born from my inability to continue writing Consequences of an Honest Enemy.

It started off with the recent introduction of Mei Terumi to the series. And I was browsing through stories annoyed (This is around the time fanfiction really started getting bad to me. There were far too few good stories, and far too many that I could "Read" their entirety while simply reading the summary.) at the fact that there were no Mei/Naruto fanfics out there.

So I decided to post the first one... or one of the first. I didn't really care. However it was originally a joke to me. Everyone has seen the classic "Kakashi doesn't train Naruto for the chunin exams, to insert White Knight here, Naruto becomes their pet and dominates the exams." type of story.

Well I just decided I would make one of these, but try and make it really good. Make the first few chapters really engaging and see if I could actually develop some hype from chapter to chapter in the early chapters of the story. And I feel... I was able to slightly accomplish that.

Then I moved into the chunin exams, and I felt that I was adequately able to showcase interesting, but intellectually pleasing combat. Something that was foreign in most jutsu flinging stories showcased on this site. And that was where I hit my stride with the story. I knew I hit something good with how I was writing, and how I was showcasing the main hero using his powers as well as his brain.

Yet I also knew as a writer and as a reader of fanfiction that I couldn't keep that up forever. So I decided to add a wrench into Mei's relationship with Naruto. One that I had always thought about, but never really followed through with because I started this story really with no plan in mind.

Now as you are reading this, I am sure you probably know how things ended up turning out as the story continued.

However two HUGE HUGE wrenches were thrown into my plans as a writer. I was cruising through, producing chapter after chapter quite consistently for Freedom Has A Price. And then suddenly...

Andy Whitfield, the actor that played Spartacus. His character and portrayal of Spartacus is what inspired an entire upcoming arc of the story.

He died.

Secondly, I had a girlfriend I loved very much, a fiance even if we were to get really technical about it, but we never were. Well it was during around this time that she died as well.

Both killed my will to write in different ways, but were potent. Now Freedom Has A Price is a story of grand scale. One that looking back on it, I never thought I could accomplish it. Not with how I write. I tend to write very descriptive, and try to paint a very vivid picture for everyone reading. And as such the story ends up being slow moving. And the upcoming arc was probably going to be more descriptive than I've ever seen anything on this website.

With the way I write? I wouldn't be able to finish it. Perhaps if I adopted a writing style similar to Lord of the Land of Fire, which is generally very dialog heavy? I may be able to. However I felt that the quality of my work would suffer as consequence, and the story wouldn't hold up to the image I initially created.

So that brings me to why I am delivering this message to you, all of my fans, and readers. I'm sorry.

As of right now? I don't see the story Freedom Has a Price or Consequences of an Honest Enemy being updated. (Or Soul of the Sword if you are one of the few that liked my poorly written test run of a story).

The person I was when I started writing those stories is just different than the person I am now. Right now, if I am going to write anything? Don't expect it to be too complex.

I will probably be able to struggle slowly through Forward Unto Dawn. Begrudgingly because it is similar to a story I intend to write and publish in the future, and I feel the practice is something I will actually need. That and the fact that Forward Unto Dawn has a plot that is far more linear than my other stories.

So here is what I can do for the people who really enjoyed these stories and were hoping to see them completed.

I can A: Leave them like this, and try to come back to them in the future.

B: I can give a summary of the plot, or write down the major plot points and the character analysis that would slowly grow in the story to the very end.

As for allowing someone to continue my story? It is unlikely. There is only one author I'd put one of my stories in his hands, and I doubt he would take it. And I don't really want to see them in the hands of anyone else in the first place.

Fanfiction being bad is just no longer an excuse for me to try and write something good these days. Not with how things have changed, and how I've changed.

So best of luck everyone, and I'm sorry.

(Lets hope this doesn't spur me into a fire of writing these stories. That would be awkward.)


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